


Father of the Bride: Part 2

by rubberduckz84



Series: The Wood Series [19]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: F/M, Humor, Pregnancy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-17
Updated: 2019-12-17
Packaged: 2021-02-25 20:47:11
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 24
Words: 83,927
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21831658
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rubberduckz84/pseuds/rubberduckz84
Summary: (Wood Series Side Story 4) Life is never quiet for the Woods. So of course when the Wood children start having their own, it would end up being pure chaos… with more than one surprise for everyone.
Series: The Wood Series [19]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1555570
Kudos: 2





	1. Unexpected Announcements

**Author's Note:**

> I had been toying around with this idea for awhile after a long-time reader suggested it. Finally I started getting an idea for the story and started writing. Though went through a couple versions before settling on this one. And helped that I started re-reading the previous stories and it got me in the mood to revisit everyone's (or at least my) favorite Woods. But pretty sure this is the last story I'll write in this universe. Gotta stop at some point, you know?
> 
> Obviously, I don't own anything created by J.K. Rowling, but I do own the Wood kids and other OCs. Ah, and the story.
> 
> Setting: Next Generation (Post-Hogwarts - Mostly Original Characters)  
> Genre: Humor  
> Rating: M (Language)

The sound of a cry pierced the quiet night. For a few moments, no one in the house stirred. And it certainly was a full house being somewhere in the middle of the night before Christmas Day. The cry grew louder and was soon joined by another.

Oliver Wood stirred in his sleep, not wanting to wake up but at the same time, being unable to ignore the cries any longer.

“Red… you should go,” he mumbled, reaching over to pat his sleeping wife next to him, still keeping his eyes closed. He wasn’t sure if she was awake.

“No… I was up a few hours ago,” she groaned, rolling over and pulling the comforter over her head. “Let the children take care of it.”

“We don’t know who it is,” Oliver mumbled again.

“I don’t care… need sleep,” Iris replied, though Oliver could barely make out her voice under the comforter and now pillow. “You go check.”

Sighing, Oliver finally peeled his eyes open and struggled to push himself up in the bed, having to sit on the edge of the bed a few moments to get his bearings. It felt like he had just fallen asleep, but one look at the clock told him that he had been out for at least three hours.

“Oliver, hurry… before everyone else wakes up,” Iris mumbled.

Another cry started up.

Iris groaned in frustration as she threw the comforter off and sat up.

“Both might as well go,” she said, slipping into her slippers. “Seems this is going to take more than one person.”

“We’re too old for this,” Oliver said, still sitting. “This was not what I had in mind…”

“That’s what I said,” Iris retorted sleepily as she stood and walked over to her robe. She then turned, noticing that Oliver was still sitting at the side of the bed, his head lulling forward. “Oliver!”

He started before jumping up and walking over to his robe.

“I’m awake,” he said. Iris chuckled.

“You fell asleep again,” she replied.

“Can you blame me? It’s a wonder anyone is getting any sleep tonight with everyone in the house,” he grumbled, starting to shuffle to the door.

“It’s Christmas,” Iris said with a sigh, following him. “I’ll see to the little ones. You go start on bottles. Probably going to need a whole load.”

“Sure, Red,” Oliver said with a yawn as they both made their way to the door. “Merlin… how did we end up here?”

~~~

_Oliver Wood  
_ _March 18, 2029_

I knew something was up. I knew it from the moment Wills and Daisy walked in the door.

It was our usual monthly family lunch at the country house. Even with everyone married - er well, almost married as Alan and Bridget had been engaged nearly a year but still hadn’t set a date - and Remus and Laura now with a toddler, they still showed up like clockwork on Sunday every month. Granted never at the same time. Though this time rather than Remus and Laura being late because they were trying to wrangle wee Gavin, Pix and Wills had rushed in last, both apologizing profusely for making everyone wait.

Pix kept shooting Wills glares. Which meant they had either had a fight or there was something she didn’t want him to tell us. I wasn’t happy with either option.

_“Red?”_ I thought, raising an eyebrow in her direction as she filled her plate.

_“Whatever it is, she’s blocking me,”_ she replied. I rolled my eyes.

_“Then look into Wills,”_ I replied, the snark evident even in my thoughts. She just shot me a scowl and continued on filling her plate, seeming quite content not to know whatever it was that was going on. I turned my attention back to our children and their spouses. Fine. Wills could barely keep a secret to save his life. By the end of lunch, he’d give it up. I probably wouldn’t even need to goad him on it.

“How’s Quidditch Monthly?” I asked, directing the question to Jamie’s wife Lila.

“Keeping me busy,” she said. “I was at three matches this week, not including Puddlemere’s yesterday.”

“They still giving you Jamie’s matches off?” I asked before taking a bite.

“Seems it is a bit of a conflict of interest, seeing as I am married to the star keeper,” she replied lightly. I glanced over at Jamie, who was fidgeting in his chair. That was odd. Jamie only got like that when he was nervous. And he was rarely nervous nowadays. What the blazes could be going on?

“Yea, yea, Jamie the star keeper. Seems he’s a star in other ways,” Remus remarked with a grin. Alan laughed as Jamie glared at him. Seemed even at nearly 28, the triplets were still taking the mickey out of each other. Though whatever for, I had no idea.

“Ehm, right… how’s St. Mungo’s, Bridget?” I asked, looking at Alan’s fiance, thanking Merlin and all the stars that I was being spared yet another wedding with Hans. I lucked out with Remus. Laura had found out she was pregnant a few months after Pix’s wedding, so the two had a quick and simple ceremony before Gavin came along. Alan on the other hand seemed too lazy for a wedding as the couple were taking their own sweet time planning it.

“Good. Busy, though,” she said, smiling at me. “Thankfully I don’t see any of this lot that often. Though did see you and Wills leaving on Wednesday, Daisy. Tried to catch up to you, but you were walking too quickly…”

“You were at St. Mungo’s, Pix?” I asked, turning my attention to my daughter. Her face started turning slightly red as Wills began literally bouncing in his chair.

“Spot of flu, is all,” she said quickly before stomping her foot on Wills’. He gave out a short yelp but managed to stop bouncing as he shoved food in his mouth.

“Must be going around. Didn’t I overhear that you were feeling under the weather this week as well, Lila?” Remus asked, looking over at her. Lila froze, her fork halfway to her mouth as Jamie scowled at his brother. He started laughing, which only set off Gavin, who giggled from his high chair as he started throwing his spoon around. Alan just smiled as Bridget rolled her eyes and sighed, shaking her head.

“Remus, you’re getting him all worked up,” Laura chided as she grabbed the spoon and attempted to wipe down the babe’s face. I glanced over at Red. The look on her face read that something was clearly going on with our children. I looked back at the other end of the table, taking in Jamie and then Wills.

It was only a matter of who would spill first.

Taking a deep breath, I put my fork down and put on my best coach face. Perhaps I could scare it out of them. Jamie already looked as though he was going to be sick. Wills kept shoving food in his mouth, likely to keep from talking.

“Right, well… something is obviously going on here,” I said calmly. “Now-”

“LILA’S PREGNANT!”

“WE’RE HAVING A BABY!”

I felt my heart stop slightly as Jamie and Wills stared at each other and Daisy dropped her head into her hands. Lila just blinked as silence fell over the table. And just as suddenly, the room was full of chaos. Iris leapt from her seat and ran first to Jamie and Lila, hugging both, then over to Daisy and Wills. Remus slapped Wills on the back as the ruddy idiot just sat there and grinned, his front covered in the food he had spit out when he shouted. Laura and Bridget were congratulating Lila, excitedly asking about how she was feeling.

And I… I just sat there, unable to speak.

“Think you broke Da,” Alan said with a chuckle as they all looked at me, suddenly realizing I hadn’t said a word.

“I resent that. He didn’t do that when Laura and I were expecting,” Remus said.

“We were both ecstatic for you, Remus,” Iris said. “Beyond thrilled. Gavin is our first grandchild, after all.” She bent over and kissed the tot on the head, cooing at him as he giggled.

“Pretty sure it’s because of Pix. Not Jamie,” Alan replied. “He always goes mental when Pix is involved.”

“Dad?”

I looked over, seeing Daisy starting towards me, a worried look on her face. In a flash, I saw her as a wee thing again. I shook my head. Pix was a grown woman - nearly 26. She had been married for nearly two years. And now she was having a baby.

My little Pix was about to have a baby.

“I’m fine,” I croaked, quickly reaching for a napkin and wiping my face with it. I did not want anyone to see the sheen of tears that were likely in my eyes.

“You’d think he didn’t already have a grandchild,” Remus huffed.

“Gavin’s my first and will always be special,” I said, frowning at him. “Just… wasn’t expecting two at once…”

“Sure that’s it,” Alan replied. I shot him a look. I was not upset. Just in shock.

“Well… this is not exactly how we wanted to tell you,” Daisy said. “I’m only about six weeks. We were planning to wait a bit longer.”

“Due in November?” Lila asked.

“Yea,” Daisy replied.

“So are we,” Lila said, smiling.

“They’ll be in the same year at Hogwarts!” Wills exclaimed.

Bloody hell.

“You hear that, Gavin, you’re going to have cousins,” Laura crooned to the tot, lifting him out of the chair and into her lap. Remus leaned over and tickled him, causing the baby to giggle.

“This is just… wonderful,” Iris said, already crying. “Oh, Oliver. Go grab that bottle of the 30-year you’ve been holding on to.” I nodded and stood, walking into the library. I needed a few moments to myself just to wrap my head around everything. Jamie and Lila were going to have a baby. Daisy and Wills were going to have a baby. I was going to have a total of three grandchildren by November.

Immediately, I had the image of a tiny ginger tot with curly hair running up to me, begging to go for a broom ride. Merlin, I hoped it looked like Daisy. And took after her. Not sure I could stand to have a mini Wills running around.

I returned to the dining room with the bottle and glasses, a smile now on my face as I felt the giddiness start to build up. I was going to have more grandchildren. By Merlin, we’d have our quidditch team yet. Setting it all down on the table, I walked over and hugged Pix, kissing the top of her head.

“Are you really okay?” she asked, looking up at me.

“‘Course I am, Pix,” I said. It was all I could manage to get out, feeling the tears start up again.

“You’re not crying, are you?” she asked.

“No,” I replied, wiping at my face again.

“He cried when you told us about Gavin,” Red said. “Though only after you all left.”

“Did not!” I shouted as the kids started laughing. I huffed as Wills stood, grinning at me. Before I could say anything, he pulled me into a bone-shattering hug.

“Leggo, Wills!” I shouted.

“I’m going to be a dad!” he said. “What do you think it’s going to be, Grandad?”

“How much you wanna bet one of them has triplets,” Remus said.

“Merlin, I should hope not,” Lila said, her eyes wide.

“Same. Three babies at once? No, thanks,” Daisy said, looking down at her flat stomach. “I’d never get my form back.”

“I told you, Daisy. You’ll be beautiful no matter what,” Wills said, kissing her cheek.

“How did you tell?” Laura asked, looking back at the three women.

“Wills found out by accident,” Daisy said, shooting him a frown.

“Jamie walked in while I was doing the charm,” Lila said, glancing at him. “Though we too had agreed we’d wait a bit longer before saying anything.”

“How did your first exams go?” Iris asked.

“Everything is fine and Little Pix is growing well,” Wills said brightly as he patted Daisy’s stomach.

“Little Pix?” I asked.

“He’s convinced it’s a girl,” she replied.

“Jamie’s already got a bevy of boy names picked out,” Lila said with a chuckle.

“Does he randomly pat your stomach?” Daisy asked. “Or talk to it?”

“All the time,” Lila said, rolling her eyes. I cleared my throat and moved back to the firewhiskey, busying myself with pouring it. I did not need to know the intricate details of my daughter and daughter-in-law’s pregnancies. Already been through that with Red and did not care to hear it all again.

_“What are you thinking?”_ I heard Red ask in my head.

_“We’re going to need more expansion charms for Christmas…”_

~~~

“Can you believe it?” Iris said as she fell into the chair next to mine on the upstairs porch. “We’re going to have two new grandchildren this year.” She looked over at me, still grinning. “I hope one of them is a girl. I do adore Gavin, but I’m dying to buy a load of frilly little dresses and bows.”

I chuckled as I brought my glass to my lips and took a sip.

“I just hope at least one of them is a quidditch player,” I said.

“Of course that’s what you’d focus on,” she said, rolling her eyes slightly. “With our genes, I’m sure you’ll have at least two.”

“Gavin already loves going for broom rides,” I said with a smile, thinking back to the afternoon. After the announcements and we finished eating, I took the tot outside for a few laps around the pitch - Laura shouting at me not to go too high. I bit my tongue before replying that I had done this before. The infant had giggled and squealed the entire time, squirming so much that I nearly lost my grip on him. He was going to be a handful when he got older, that was for sure. “How long before Alan and Bridget decide to have one, do you think?”

“Oh, probably not too much longer. He never did like being left behind. Now that Remus, Jamie and Daisy are all having children, I’m sure they get started soon enough,” Iris said. She then breathed a happy sigh as she looked out over the countryside. “This is the part I was looking forward to… the house full of children again.”

“And then sending them home with their parents,” I added. She chuckled.

“Yes, that as well,” she said, taking a sip of her wine. “Nearly can’t believe it. It was real when Gavin came along, but… seems even more real now that Daisy is pregnant. Thought for sure they’d wait longer.” That was true. I thought so as well. She had said as much the last time we had talked about the upcoming World Cup and her brothers had started ribbing her about children.

“It’s a shame I won’t have her for the Cup,” I said, causing Iris to laugh.

“We both know Daisy. She’ll be up in the air over the next winter break and back on the pitch for the second half,” Iris said. “She’ll probably keep it a secret for another few months just so she can play in the playoffs.”

“Is that smart?” I asked, looking over at her. Daisy was a bit reckless with her tricks. Would that be good for the baby?

“She should be fine as long as she takes it back a few notches,” Iris responded. “Ashley played up until she was nearly four months - Daisy’s not even two.”

“I did not want her on the pitch at all once she told us, all those the bludgers flying about. Though she had some sort of special padding for the belly. And she still showed up at the gym every day to train until a month or so before she gave birth. Both times,” I replied with a snort. “Knowing Pix, Nilsson’s gonna have himself a handful. Do not envy him that.”

“Daisy will be fine,” Iris said, smiling at me as she reached over and patted my hand. I nodded, setting my glass down. I then stood and walked over, pulling Iris up from her chair. “Oliver! What are you doing?”

I didn’t answer as I leaned down and kissed her then lifted her up in my arms, causing her to laugh.

“Figure we should enjoy what little time alone we have left. All the grandkids coming, the sleepovers at Gran and Grandad’s will start up soon,” I said before kissing her again.

“Oh, well then… continue,” she said, her eyes flashing.

Merlin, I loved this woman.


	2. Finding Out

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Obviously, I don't own anything created by J.K. Rowling, but I do own the Wood kids and other OCs. Ah, and the story.
> 
> Setting: Next Generation (Post-Hogwarts - Mostly Original Characters)  
> Genre: Humor  
> Rating: M (Language)

_Daisy Wills  
_ _March 13, 2029_

I took a deep breath as I stared at myself in the mirror in the bathroom. I had been standing there for a good five minutes now, trying to build up the courage to do the damn charm. For a moment, I was glad I had left early from practice just so I wouldn’t have to do this with Wills there, but I’d need to do it now. Or else I’d end up standing there staring at myself until he walked in after practice and I’d put it off another day.

And this wasn’t something that I could just put off forever.

I had been feeling rotten all week. At first, I thought it was just because I hadn’t been sleeping well. When I started feeling a bit dizzy and queasy today, I assumed that I must be coming down with some sort of spring flu. Even Nilsson noticed and sent me to the locker room for a break after nearly falling off my broom while hovering. The lads likely would have given me hell for it if Nilsson hadn’t sent me home after coming in to check on me after 15 minutes and I was splayed out on the floor. I had stood up too quickly and toppled over again.

They’ll still probably give me hell tomorrow. Though at the moment I was seriously tempted to take the day off, even though I promised Coach I’d be in early to make up for losing time today.

“You are Daisy Fucking Wood. You don’t get scared. Just do the damn thing,” I muttered to my reflection, my eyes flashing red.

I’m not sure when exactly it was that I thought perhaps this was something other than a cold or the flu. It was somewhere while I was undressing when I realized that I hadn’t had my period. I quickly did the math and fell back down on the bench, thinking back over the past few weeks. It wasn’t possible. Or rather it shouldn’t have been possible. Wills and I had talked about children often, but we were both of the mind that we wanted to wait - I was only 25 after all. Barely in my playing prime. And now was definitely not the time to have a baby with the World Cup just next summer. Dad would need me to help finally bring it home for Scotland and was already talking about training schedules and qualifiers.

We had been careful. I was using birth control. This shouldn’t be happening now.

Starting to feel a bit queasy again, I quickly turned on the tap and threw water on my face before putting a palmful in my mouth and swishing it around, then spitting it out. Taking another deep, calming breath, I stepped back from the sink and placed my hand over my stomach, softly muttering the spell I had read about in one of the many healing books I kept around the house. They came in handy with both of us still playing professional quidditch. Especially now that Wills was nearly 40 and edging closer to his retirement, though he still liked to think he could play forever.

I held my breath as I pulled my hand away and turned it palm up, watching. A small, swirling sphere of white light appeared. I felt like time slowed as it continued swirling, then slowly started turning light green.

I swore my heart stopped for a moment. I couldn’t remember what green meant. Dashing out of the bathroom, the light still hovering above my palm, I dashed over to the bed where I had left the book open to the chapter and skimmed through it, my eyes occasionally darting over to the sphere.

_If the woman is, indeed, pregnant, the sphere will turn green._

“Fuck,” I whispered as I backed away from the bed, now staring at the green sphere. “Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.”

I’m not quite sure how long I stood there, but at some point, I started pacing around the bedroom. Then I thought perhaps a cup of tea would help calm me. I seriously wanted a glass of whiskey, but as I was, indeed, pregnant, there would be no drinking for at least the next 8 or so months, depending on how far along I was.

I left the room and walked out onto the balcony and then quickly down the stairs - at first, I got dizzy and had to stop a moment, then descended a bit slower - and turned into the kitchen, waving my hand. Leaning against the island, I barely registered the kettle filling itself with water and then floating to the stovetop, which lit up as soon as it was settled. My mind was whirling something fierce as a million thoughts filled it.

I would have to stop playing quidditch. I probably wouldn’t be able to play in the World Cup. The team would have to pull the reserves seeker up. Christ, would I even be able to play in the playoffs? At least we had the room - there were now a few guest rooms on the second floor after the remodel, so one would suffice as a nursery. I was going to get fat. How long would it take to get back in playing form? Would I ever get back into playing form? Could I still train while pregnant even if I couldn’t play?

Merlin, I was going to be responsible for keeping a tiny human alive for the next 18 years.

The screaming of the kettle ripped me out of my thoughts as I looked over. The fire turned off and the kettle lifted then poured itself into a nearby mug, a tea packet dropping in. The mug then lifted into the air and drifted over to me.

“It’s going to be fine,” I told myself. “I mean… you and Wills want kids. Well, Wills wants a lot of kids, but anyway… this is going to be fine. Just starting a bit earlier than expected. And Ashley is still playing and she’s got two now. Wilda Griffith played years after becoming a mum. Your career isn’t over just because you’re pregnant.”

I lifted the mug to my lips, mentally congratulating myself for calming down. Yes, this was going to be just fine. I wasn’t freaking out. I was happy. This was happiness I was feeling. It had to be, right? That’s why my heart was racing like I had just played a three-hour match without stopping for a break.

“I’m home!” Wills called out as he opened the kitchen door. I whipped my head over and immediately straightened up, trying to appear casual. One look of his face told me I was failing. “What’s wrong?” In a second, he was across the room, intently checking me over for bruises, lumps or any other telltale sign of being injured.

“I’m fine. Just felt a bit under the weather and Coach sent me home early,” I said, wishing that Jamie was here to force me to feel calm.

“You’re not sick, are you?” he asked, his face still a picture of concern.

“Just a little bug. I’m fine,” I lied. Not sure why. I was obviously going to have to tell him - he’d find out as soon as I got morning sickness and started puking my guts out. Or, you know, when my stomach began exploding and a baby popped out in several months.

“Pix, you’re pale as a ghost,” he said.

“Seriously, Wills. I’m fine. I was just about to start on supper,” I said, pushing him away. I couldn’t tell him now. Not while I was freaking out. Weren’t you supposed to do some sort of cute, sweet reveal? Wills deserved to find out that way - when the truth had finally sunk in and I was no longer going mental. I should chat with Lucy or Dominique about how they told. They would have ideas.

“Well… if you sure you’re fine, then I’ll just run my bag upstairs and change,” he said, walking back to where he had dropped his team bag when he walked in. Though the look on his face read that he clearly wasn’t convinced. I mustered up a weak smile and shooed him off, turning to walk over to the fridge just so he couldn’t see my face anymore.

Opening it up, I bent over and browsed the shelves until I heard him going up the stairs. Breathing a sigh of relief, I shut it and leaned against the counter. I needed to calm down. Closing my eyes, I took a few deep breaths in and out, feeling my heart rate starting to slow. There. That was better.

“PIX!!!”

There was thundering from upstairs. My eyes flew open as I looked up at the ceiling and then over towards the stairs, seeing him flying down them and around, a book in his hand.

Fuck. I left it on the bed. Open to the page about pregnancy detection charms.

“Is it… Are we?”

He couldn’t even finish the sentence, his eyes wide and a bright grin on his face. Bugger. This is not how I wanted him to find out. I opened my mouth, but no words came out.

“Damnit, Pix, I can’t stand it! Are we having a baby?!” he shouted. I swore he was starting to bounce on his toes.

“Yes,” I finally said. The book thudded to the floor as he bounded across the room and grabbed me, pulling me into his arms and then swinging me around.

“WE’RE HAVING A BABY!” he shouted. I could feel my stomach contents starting to make its way back up.

“Wills! Stop! My stomach!” I shouted.

Immediately, both of my feet were back on the ground as he dropped to his knees.

“I’m so sorry, Little Pix. I didn’t mean to hurt you. Daddy just got a little excited,” he crooned to my flat stomach.

“I meant I was getting sick,” I said, rolling my eyes. Wills looked up at me, still grinning.

“Right, sorry,” he said, standing up. He then wrapped his arms around me again, pulling me close to him. “Merlin… a baby… and we weren’t even trying…”

“I know… that’s the problem,” I said, feeling tears starting to well up. Oh no. I couldn’t stop them. Wills stepped back, looking down at me.

“Aren’t you happy, Pix?” he asked softly, the smiling fading from his face. I sniffled and wiped furiously at my cheeks as the tears started spilling out.

“No - I mean - yes - but…” I couldn’t continue as the tears poured out and a sound like a drowning kneazle burst forth from my lips. “I… quidditch… and, and… I’m gonna get fat… and… THE DAMN WORLD CUP!” Throwing myself back into his arms, I buried my face in his shirt, not caring that it was now getting covered in tears and snot.

“Pix… you know there are other World Cups that you can play in,” he said soothingly as he rubbed my back.

“But I wanna play in this one!” I wailed. Dignity be damned. I was the pregnant one. “And, and… Fraser isn’t good enough! We’re so close!”

“It’s still over a year away. I’m sure that you’ll be up in the air and ready to go by then,” Wills replied.

“But we don’t know that! What if I’m horrible from all the time off!” I shouted back, though it was garbled as my face as still buried in his chest. “AND DO YOU KNOW HOW FAT I’M GOING TO GET!!” Wills chuckled.

“It’s not fat. It’s a baby, Pix,” he said. I looked up at him, sure my eyes were flashing red.

“You’re not the one carrying it!” I shouted. Wills cupped my cheeks with his hands, leaning down.

“It’s going to be fine, Pix. You’ll look beautiful no matter what. I’ll be at your side the whole time, waiting on you hand in foot if I must. I’ll do anything to keep you and Little Pix safe and healthy and happy,” he said. I sniffled. I suppose I was overreacting a bit. The guilt flooded in, only spurring on even more tears. I was ruining this moment for him with my emotional outburst. Or perhaps it was the hormones.

“I’m a horrid wife!” I wailed, burying my face in his chest again.

“What?! Absolutely not! You’re the best wife ever, Pix,” he said immediately, rubbing my back again.

“No, I’m not! You’re so happy and I’m ruining it!” I said.

“You’re aren’t. You’re just… a bit emotional. And I understand that. It is a bit of a surprise. But you will be fine, and everything is going to go okay. And in several months, we’ll have Little Pix here with us,” he said.

“What makes you so sure it’s a girl?” I asked, realizing that was the third time he had referred to the baby as Little Pix.

“Well, I hope it’s a girl anyway,” he said. I snorted as I looked up at him.

“What if it’s a boy?” I asked.

“Then it’ll be Pix Junior,” he said as though that made the most sense in the world. I stared at him a bit before I felt the laughter bubbling up. Soon, I was chuckling. Pix Junior? What a ridiculous man I had married. It was then that I could feel a flood of love, affection, devotion and hope flowing through me. I knew it was Wills. Ridiculous or not, I loved him. And I already loved this small human the two of us had created. It was part Wills, after all.

“There’s the smile I love to see,” he said, bending down to kiss me. He then lifted me up into his arms and started towards the den.

“Wills, what are you doing?” I asked.

“Putting you on the sofa and then I’m going to make supper,” he said matter-of-factly. “You should be off your feet.”

“Does this mean I never have to cook again?” I asked hopefully. Wills just chuckled.

“You are going to rest and then while I’m cooking, we can discuss names,” he said, placing me on the sofa and turning towards the kitchen.

“We have a bit of time for that,” I said.

“Never hurts to start early,” he replied.

“There’s loads of other stuff that we have to discuss,” I shot back. “Like, we have to choose a healer. I need to go in and get everything checked out. And then we have to buy everything. Convert one of the guest rooms into a nursery. Oh… and we have to decide when to tell everyone…”

Wills stopped and spun around.

“I was hoping we could just do that now,” he said. I shot him a glare.

“Absolutely not. We tell everyone now and Nilsson’ll make me go straight onto maternity leave,” I shot back. “Besides, most people wait until the second trimester. Just to make sure everything’s okay.”

“You’re seriously not going to make me wait that long, are you?” Wills asked, starting to pout.

“It’s not that long. We’ve no idea how far along I am, anyway,” I replied.

“But… it’s 13 WEEKS!” he said. I just stared at him. How the ruddy hell did Wills know that? “I read it… in a book.”

“A book?” I asked. He looked to the floor.

“Well, yea. I mean, your cousins were all having kids. And then Remus and Laura had theirs. Thought I should start reading up… so I was ready when the time came,” he said, looking up at me. I swallowed, feeling the tears starting to well up again. Pushing up off the sofa, I walked over to him, wrapping my arms around his neck and pecking him on the lips.

“I love you, Bryan Wills. And I love that you’re already reading up,” I said. He started smiling. “But we’re still waiting to tell everyone.” With one more peck on his lips, I let go of him and turned back to the sofa.

“But… can’t I at least tell my-”

“No.”

“But what about yours-”

“Absolutely not. Dad’ll ground me for sure.”

“But can we at least-”

“No one, Wills. Not until we get into St. Mungo’s and all,” I said, settling on the sofa and reaching for the remote to the TV. Out the corner of my eye, I saw him sigh and turn, walking to the kitchen.

“Fine,” he said, relenting. I smiled to myself. Looking down at my stomach, I couldn’t help but put my hand there, rubbing it slightly.

“Yes, Daddy can get a bit much sometimes. But you’ll get used to it,” I said softly.

“I heard that!”

~~~

_Jamie Wood  
_ _March 9, 2029_

“Ruddy Da,” I grumbled as I walked down the path to the front door of our home. It was a Friday and usually Friday practices were a bit easier since we often had matches the following Saturday. But for some reason, the bloody bastard had nearly run us into the ground today.

Even Wills was complaining about sore muscles, and he never complained. At least not to us. Pix usually got the brunt of that.

“Lila?” I called out as I walked in the door. I couldn’t remember if she was covering a match today or not. I had an hour or so before I needed to run off to meet Remus and Alan. Now that Remus had a kid, we didn’t meet up as often. It had been a few months since Remus had a night out and he was raring for a good lads’ night. While Gavin was finally sleeping through the night, the tot was constantly getting into things.

I didn’t hear anything, so assumed she was still at the match, walking up the stairs to our room. I had passed on showering in the locker room, eager to get home. Dropping my bag on the floor next to our bed, I started towards the closet, but stopped, hearing soft cursing from the bathroom. That was odd. Maybe Lila was home after all.

“Lila?” I called out, walking to the half-opened door. “You home?” I pushed the door open and peered in. Lila turned quickly, hiding her hands behind her back as she stared at me, eyes wide.

“What are you doing home so soon?” she asked. I was home at the same time I always came home. Something was the matter.

“It’s 6:30,” I replied.

“Oh… I guess I lost track of time,” she said, offering a tense smile. “I’ll be out in a moment.”

“Didn’t you have a match today?” I asked, taking in her pale pallor. She didn’t look well.

“I was not feeling well so came home early,” she said. “Brad was there and said he would fill me on the rest of the match that I missed.”

“Something wrong?” I asked, stepping towards her.

“I’m fine!” she said, her voice a little too high and a little too loud. “No need to check on me. Just… could I have a few moments?”

I didn’t want to leave her. She looked ill and she was obviously hiding something. A sheen of sweat was on her brow.

“Seriously, Lila. I think we should get you to St. Mungo’s. You really look off,” I said, taking another step towards her. It was then that I saw the opened book on the counter. “What’s this?”

“Nothing!” Lila shouted, pushing the book on the floor and then kicking her behind her. I frowned as I crossed my arms in front of me. Something was going on and we were going to get to the bottom of it.

“Lila. I suggest you tell me what’s going on,” I said. “I’m not leaving until you do.”

Lila began scowling at me. She took a deep breath and started to open her mouth as though she was going to start yelling, but then stopped. It was as though she deflated slightly, most of the anger leaving her and tears started shining in her eyes. She brought her hand around and held it out, a green sphere of light hovering above it.

“I was trying to make it go away before you walked in, but it got stuck,” she said starting to cry.

“I, this isn’t something to cry about,” I said, smiling softly as I began inspecting it. “Sure we can undo the charm easy enough.”

“That’s not it, Jamie,” she said. I looked up at her, wondering just what was going on. “It’s a pregnancy charm… I’m pregnant.”

I’m not sure what happened next. I was staring at Lila and then suddenly everything started to go a bit hazy as I stumbled back. Lila gasped and immediately followed me, reaching out to grab hold of my arms.

“Jamie!” she shouted. I put my hand out against the wall, stopping myself from completely falling over. I nearly couldn’t believe my ears. For nearly two years we had been trying. And nothing. We saw all the healers and the specialists. They had insisted that nothing was wrong, just that sometimes it takes time. We just need to stop stressing about it and it would happen. I suppose they were right. Just last month we had decided to take a break from all the tracking and scheduling and such.

And now it was finally happening. We were going to have a child.

“It’s true?” I asked, my voice soft. Lila smiled at me and nodded, the tears starting to pour down her cheeks.

“We’re going to have a baby,” she said.

“Merlin,” I said as she ran into my arms and a grin spread across my face.

“I know. The healer was right,” she said. There was relief pouring throughout her. “As soon as we stopped stressing about it…” I stepped back from her, still grinning.

“When can we tell the others?” I asked. I remember vaguely that my cousins hadn’t told anyone for a bit.

“I am not sure. Perhaps we should make an appointment first. I’m not even sure just how far along I am,” she said.

“Fine, whatever you want,” I said, kissing her face. Lila started laughing. “I’ll… we should celebrate! Get dressed and I’ll take you out!” I started out of the bathroom and towards our closet.

“Jamie… what about your brothers?” she asked. I stopped. I had forgotten about them.

“This is more important. They’ll understand,” I said, starting to the closet again.

“No, you should go. Remus does not get out very often anymore,” she said. I stopped and turned to face her. “Besides, I do not think that I can eat anything tonight.”

“But… it’s a big day! We should do something to celebrate. Together,” I said, stepping back over to her. Lila just smiled.

“You go celebrate with your brothers. Maisie is already on her way over,” she said, placing her hand against my cheek. “We can talk more later. I am not going to have this baby tonight.”

I couldn’t help but laugh as I took her into my arms again, kissing her.

“You think we’ll have a boy or a girl?” I asked.

“Does it matter?” she replied.

“Not to me, but I wonder,” I said. “We should choose Oliver if it’s a boy.” Lila chuckled.

“What about Marcus?” she asked.

“Oliver Marcus. Or Marcus Oliver. Either is fine with me,” I said. Lila just smiled and shook her head. “Just so much as he looks like you.”

“Ah, but he will need your build if he is to be a top-rate quidditch player,” she replied, a twinkle in her eye.

“True. I didn’t think of that…” Lila just laughed again. “Blimey, there’s so much we need to do before he gets here… need to go shopping and, and, the nursery-”

“Jamie, my love, calm down,” Lila replied. “As I said, we have plenty of time.” I nodded.

“I’m so happy, Lila,” I said softly, placing my hand on her stomach. “It’s going to be the three of us…”

“I love you, Jamie Wood,” she said.

“I love you, too…”


	3. More Revelations

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Obviously, I don't own anything created by J.K. Rowling, but I do own the Wood kids and other OCs. Ah, and the story.
> 
> Setting: Next Generation (Post-Hogwarts - Mostly Original Characters)  
> Genre: Humor  
> Rating: M (Language)

Daisy jerked awake, her eyes peering around in the dark as she forgot for a moment where she was. She quickly started hitting Wills, who was snoring next to her.

“Wills. Baby,” she mumbled. He continued to snore. She whipped her head over towards him, wakefulness finally starting to sink in. “WILLS!”

“I’m on it!” he shouted as he shot up in the bed. “Wait… where am I?”

“At Mum and Dad’s,” she said, already starting to get up as more cries started up. “Christ… maybe we shouldn’t have come here…”

“But it’s tradition. We always come over and stay Christmas Eve,” Wills said, starting to get out of bed. “Don’t see why that should change just because we’re parents.” Daisy cursed as she stubbed her toe on Alan’s desk in her mission to find the robe she had left draped on the chair. “Lights would help.” Daisy glared in his general direction and the lights flicked on. “Gah. No, I change my mind!” Wills immediately covered his eyes as he sat back down on the bed.

Daisy left the lights on and just crossed her arms in front of her, waiting on him.

“Please, move at a glacial pace. That’ll work perfectly,” she said.

“Sorry… just give me a moment,” he said, rubbing his eyes. He then looked over at her blinking. “Better.”

“I’ll go down and start on the bottle,” she said, starting towards the door. “You’re better at the whole quieting thing…”

“You’re good too,” Wills said, standing and starting to walk towards her. Daisy just grunted noncommittally as she kept walking to the door. She put her hand on the doorknob and stopped.

“Maybe if we wait, someone else will take of it,” she said, looking back at him.

“If one starts, the rest will. We’re all likely getting up,” Wills said, stepping up behind her. He kissed the top of her head. “Besides, I don’t want to be the reason your dad is in a sore mood tomorrow.” Daisy snorted as she pulled the door open.

“He doesn’t need us for that. He and Mum got their hands full all on their own,” she replied.

“Don’t remind me… November was brutal,” Wills said. Daisy stopped and turned towards him, going up on her toes to peck him on the lips.

“It’ll get better,” she said with a small smile.

“Merlin, I hope so…”

~~~

_Oliver Wood  
_ _April 15, 2029_

“Morning, Red,” I said as I stepped into the kitchen. I kissed her on the cheek as I passed the stove and stopped at the coffee pot, pouring a mug. I then made my way to the breakfast table. It wasn’t until I had sat down and opened the Sunday Prophet that I realized she hadn’t responded.

I looked up and noticed she was staring down at a pan of frying bacon, a frown on her face. She had been a bit wistful the last week but insisted everything was fine and there was nothing to worry about. But seeing her like this immediately got me worried.

“Red?” I said, putting the paper down. She whipped her head over to look at me, smiling sheepishly.

“Sorry. Just caught up in my thoughts,” she replied, turning her attention back to the bacon, starting to pull it out of the pan.

“Everything alright?” I asked, still worried. “Is it about the kids? You hear something from Daisy or Jamie?”

“No, no. Nothing to do with that,” she said quickly. She then frowned again. Something was wrong. I could feel it in my bones.

“What is it?” I asked. Iris sighed heavily and got the rest of the bacon out of the pan then waved her hand, turning off the stove. This couldn’t be good. It was obviously something that involved complete focus on telling. I felt my blood start to run cold.

“It’s just… I’m worried about…” she stopped, still not looking at me as she spoke. I jumped to my feet and started towards her. “I’m being ridiculous.”

“No, if something’s bothering you, then you can tell me. It’s not ridiculous,” I immediately said, pulling her towards me. She sighed and looked up at me, her eyes a bit dull.

“It’s just… I knew it was coming - I am 56, nearly 57, after all,” she rambled.

“What is it, Red?” I asked. She sighed and looked up at me.

“I think… I think I’m starting menopause,” she said. “Or… I don’t know. Something feels off. I’m worried if it’s not that, it could be something else…”

“What else?” I asked, my mind going in about 20 different directions. What could possibly be wrong with her? And what was menopause?

“I don’t know. Cancer, maybe?” she said. “There is a history of it on my mum’s side.” At the mention of cancer, my blood ran cold. There was a lot magic could do for it, but some types still weren’t treatable even with all the progress made in healing. And we were years ahead of muggles on it.

For a moment, I let my mind wander down that trail. That couldn’t happen. We had been through a war and so much that it seemed unfair if I lost Iris to something like cancer. She was Prostatis, after all. She was supposed to live 300 or 400 years. She couldn’t have cancer. Surely there was some rule in the Prostatis handbook that said they couldn’t get such diseases. It had to be.

“Oliver, stop staring at me like that,” she said, trying to push out of my arms. I just pulled her back towards me, wrapping my arms around her.

“I’m not losing you,” I said.

“I’m not dying - at least not yet. We don’t know anything. For all we know, this is just menopause,” she muttered, trying to push out of my arms again. “I shouldn’t have said anything. Now you’re worried too.”

“No, you should have. Whatever it is - cancer or meno… whatever - we’ll get through this together,” I said, pulling her back to me.

“Oliver… every woman goes through menopause. It means she can’t have children anymore,” Iris replied. I looked down at her.

“Oh… well then, nothing wrong with that,” I said, smiling. Iris rolled her eyes and finally extracted herself from my arms, turning back to the stove and food.

“It’s still not completely pleasant,” she said. I studied her, sensing that she was still upset.

“Red… did you want to have more children?” I asked, not believing that this is what it was about. She had never said as much, but she seemed a bit too upset about this whole meno-something.

“God, no,” she scoffed. “Just… means I’m finally getting old.” That was it? That’s what had her upset? Merlin, the woman still could pass for her 40s. Wizarding kind in general aged a bit slower than muggles and definitely lived a lot longer. Iris more so because of her gifts. I couldn’t help it as a chuckle escaped my lips. “It’s not funny,” she spat, glaring at me. “You’re not getting any younger.”

“I know, I know. I’m sorry. I shouldn’t be laughing,” I said as I walked over to her. “Just… you don’t look a day over 40.” Iris rolled her eyes. “I’m serious, Red!”

“Sure you are,” she muttered. I sighed.

“Look, if you’re so worried, let’s go into St. Mungo’s and get everything checked out. Just to be sure. And then we can move on to focusing on our new grandchildren that are on the way and spoiling them all rotten,” I said. I bent over and kissed her on the cheek. Iris glanced at me a few times before turning to me and wrapping her arms around my waist.

“Fine,” she said. “Just as long as you don’t think I’m overreacting.”

“I don’t think you are,” I replied. “Just the other day I found a gray hair. Nearly pissed myself.” Iris chuckled as she looked up at me, an eyebrow raised.

“Over a gray hair?” she asked.

“Merlin’s honest truth,” I said seriously. It was a bit of an exaggeration. But if it helped cheer up Red, I’d let her think it actually happened. She started smiling.

“Okay. I’ll make an appointment tomorrow,” she said, turning back to the food. “Go sit down. We should eat before this gets cold.” I kissed the side of her head again, then turned and walked back to the table.

Well, that was one crisis averted.

Or so I thought.

~~~

“Do they usually call you in for normal test results?” I asked, looking over at Iris as we walked down the corridor at St. Mungo’s. She was already wringing her hands. Merlin, this was not how this was supposed to go. She had gotten an owl the day before from her healer, Archibald Smithers, asking her to come in to discuss some of the results. Iris had been seeing him ever since finding out she was having triplets, and he was a jolly sort of fellow, though equally sensible which I liked.

Upon receiving the owl, I immediately owled my assistant coach, telling him he was running practice in the afternoon so I could be with her. Both of us had barely slept the night before, tossing and turning the whole time. I may have taken out my frustration a bit too hard on the team that morning during conditioning. Which meant all of our children would likely know that something was up by that evening.

“You asked that last night and the answer still hasn’t changed,” she said, stopping in front of a door. She just stared at it, continuing to wring her hands.

“Suppose we should… get this over with. Like pulling off a plaster,” I said, hoping my voice sounded more soothing to her than it did to myself.

“I know… just give me a minute. Whatever he is about to tell us… very well could change our lives,” she said, still staring at the door. I reached over and took her hand, squeezing it.

“Whatever it is, we’re in it together, Red,” I said. She looked over at me and smiled, then turned back to the door, nodding slightly.

“Very well,” she said, reaching up and turning the knob, then stepping into the room.

“Ah, good! Mrs. and Mr. Wood. You’re right on time,” Smithers said, standing up from his desk. “Please, come in and have a seat.” He smiled warmly as he motioned to the two chairs in front of his desk. He seemed far too happy for this visit. Perhaps it wasn’t bad news after all.

No. Healers don’t call you in for something small or normal. Something was definitely wrong with Iris. We both walked in and sat, Iris fidgeting in her chair. I struggled to keep from bouncing my leg as I leaned forward slightly.

“Merlin, you both look like someone is dying,” he said lightly, before the smile slid from his face and his eyes widened. “Oh dear, please tell me no one’s dying.”

“That’s what we’re hoping you’re telling us,” I growled slightly as I frowned at him. The healer looked to me and blinked, then smiled.

“Course not! Iris is in perfect health,” he said, starting to shift through some parchments on his desk. “Not ill at all! Though, likely will be in a few weeks, I reckon. If I remember correctly from your past medical records.”

What the bloody hell was he talking about? She was healthy, but wouldn’t be soon?

“I’m sorry, I don’t follow,” Iris said. “I’m fine… but I won’t be?” Smithers grinned as he finally located whatever he was looking for and pulled out a few sheets of parchment.

“Yes, yes. Though it won’t last long. Only a few weeks, I should think,” he continued, skimming through the parchment. Iris and I looked at each other, even more confused. This was making no sense.

“Is it… is it menopause?” Iris asked, leaning forward in her chair. Smithers looked up at her, now seeming confused. He then started laughing.

“Oh no, my dear girl. Fairly certain you have quite a bit more time before that, thanks to your… interesting biological makeup,” he said.

“Then what is it?” I asked, frowning at him. I didn’t like being toyed with and hoped he would just get to the bloody point. He looked at me and then back at Iris.

“Oh, I thought it was obvious,” he said. I opened my mouth, preparing to yell at him, but Iris grabbed my hand, temporarily distracting me. She still had a strong grip when stressed and I winced in pain.

“I’m afraid that it’s not to us,” she said calmly. Smithers began chuckling again.

“Suppose it has been long enough that you’ve forgotten some things. Well then, let me be the first to give you my congratulations,” he said. We continued to stare at him. “You’re expecting.”

“Expecting what?” I asked before thinking. I turned and saw that Iris had turned to stone next to me, her mouth open. Smithers began chuckling again as I turned to look at him.

“Why, a baby, of course,” he said as though it was the most sensible thing in the world. What? This must be some sort of joke. Perhaps he thought it would help soften the blow of finding out that it was something worse. So, I did the first thing that came into my mind.

I started laughing.

“You can’t be serious,” I said, leaning over. Iris was still silent next to me. “Merlin, at our age?”

“I assure you, it’s quite possible. Even muggle men are able to father children well into old age. And well, we do tend to live a lot longer. It’s not unheard of for a woman of Iris’ age to fall pregnant.”

The laughter suddenly died on my lips as I stared at him. He was actually bloody serious. I looked over at Iris. Merlin… we were going to have another child… this couldn’t possibly be true. We already had four grown children - three of them nearing 30 as it was. One already with a child and two others with children on the way. We were grandparents. We couldn’t possibly be having another child.

“Iris, are you feeling ill?” Smithers asked.

“I… are you sure?” she asked, finally speaking.

“Very sure. Checked the results a few times,” he replied. “Though I do recommend that we get you in for a full workup. As you are a bit older than most mothers, I should like to keep a close eye on you throughout the duration of the pregnancy. Just to make sure everything goes well.”

Iris sat back in her chair, looking down at her lap, her eyes still wide.

“No, bloody way,” she murmured.

“I’m sorry. What was that?” Smithers asked. She looked up at him.

“This is just… mad. I’m already a grandmother. And… Daisy and Lila are expecting,” she said.

“So I’ve heard,” he replied.

“And you are absolutely sure?” she asked again. I looked back over at him, part of me still waiting for him to tell us it was a joke. Or a mistake.

“I am,” he said, turning a bit more serious. He looked back and forth between the two of us. “I’ll just… I’ll give you two a few minutes to yourselves while I go check on getting an exam room ready for you.” He stood and quickly moved out of the room, leaving us alone.

I fell back in my chair, looking up at the ceiling as I thought over everything.

I was 53. Iris was to be 57 in just two months. The triplets were 27 and set to be 28 in a few months. Pix would be 26 in June. Gavin, Remus’ little one, would be a year in May as well. We had been looking forward to settling in our role as grandparents.

We were too old to be having more children.

“We’re having a baby,” Iris said. I sat up and looked over at her. It seemed the color had completely drained from her face, though she was already rather pale to begin with. “I… I don’t even know where to begin processing this.” She looked down at her stomach. “How did this even happen?”

“Well… I believe it was-”

“I know how it happened, Oliver,” she snapped, glaring at me. “I mean, how is this possible? It’s been years since Daisy and we’ve never, I mean, I haven’t even - this shouldn’t be possible.” She went silent. I couldn’t ever remember a time seeing Red this tongue-tied. “For God’s sake, say something, Oliver.”

“What do you want me to say?” I asked, sighing. I wasn’t even sure what I was feeling at the moment.

“I don’t know… that this is going to be okay,” Iris said, a note of panic entering her voice. Immediately, I was on my feet and moving in front of her, dropping to my knees and taking her hands in mind. Truth be told, I wasn’t sure how I felt about this baby just yet, but I knew that I loved Iris. I would also love this child. And what I had said earlier still stood. We were in this together.

“Red,” I said, getting her attention. “It is going to be alright. I told you, we’re in this together.” She shook her head.

“But… a baby? At our age?” she said.

“It’s not what I expected. In fact, I’m fairly sure the only person not going to be surprised by this will be George. But it’s going to be okay,” I said. “Suppose we could convert one of the kids’ rooms into a nursery. And we’ve still got some of their baby things in the attic, so we won’t need to buy everything brand new…”

“But what are people going to say?” Iris said, her voice cracking. “Christ, Oliver! We’re grandparents! And now we’re having a baby?! Merlin, I can just imagine what the press is going to do…”

“Since when have you cared about the press?” I scoffed. Iris just shook her head. “Red… we’re having a baby.” I felt my mouth start turning up slightly. Merlin… we were having a baby. She started laughing.

“I must be mad. I’m actually starting to feel a bit happy about this,” she said.

“We should be. Thought babies make everything better,” I replied. She sat up and leaned forward, kissing me.

“Merlin, I love you,” she said.

There was a knock on the door. We both looked over, seeing Smithers pop his head in.

“Mr. and Mrs. Wood, we’re ready for you,” he said, smiling. I stood up, pulling Iris up with me.

“We are as well.”

~~~

“Merlin… I forgot how much there was to do,” Iris said. “It’s been far too long since I’ve been pregnant.”

We were walking through the hospital. After a battery of tests, we were finally heading out with a bag full of vitamins and what seemed liked armfuls of pamphlets on geriatric pregnancy. Christ, it made us sound older than we actually were. I certainly didn’t feel geriatric. Well… most of the time. Still had the odd creak here and there and my reflexes weren’t as fast as they used to be when I played.

“Well, hopefully you won’t be in labor as long,” I said. “Got shorter each time.”

“Merlin, do not remind me of that,” Iris groaned. “That part I was glad to have behind me.”

I stopped her as we reached the bottom of the stairs, turning her to face me.

“What did I tell you?” I asked. She sighed heavily.

“We’re in this together,” she said, smiling slightly. Merlin, was I really the one cheering up Iris? Usually things were the other way around. She was the one calming me down. My, how the tables had turned.

“Mum? Is everything okay?”

We both whipped our heads around, seeing Wills and Daisy standing a few feet away from us.

“Yes, of course,” Iris replied brightly, trying to shove the pamphlets in her purse. In her haste, she ended up dropping one. “Bother.” She bent down to quickly retrieve it, but Wills, still one of the top chasers in the League, beat her to it.

“Here you are, Iris,” he said, smiling as he held it out.

“Geriatric pregnancy?” Daisy said, looking down at it. Her head then whipped up as she stared at us, her eyes going wide. “Seriously?”

“What?” Wills asked, looking down at her and then over at us. “What’s going on?”

“You’re… you’re pregnant?” Daisy hissed, glancing around us. Luckily, no one seemed to pay us any mind. Iris glanced at me and back at her. Well this was great. She was only about four weeks along and we definitely had decided that we weren’t going to tell anyone anytime soon. Not until we were sure that everything was going well with the pregnancy and we had some time to process everything ourselves. That was blown.

I sighed and rolled my eyes.

“How is this even possible?” Daisy asked, her voice rising slightly.

“Well, Pix-”

“Shut up, I know how it happened, Wills,” she spat, still staring at us. “How… what…” Her mouth kept opening and shutting even though no words were coming out.

“I think what she means to say is, congratulations,” Wills said. Daisy glared up at him. “Is… how is everything?”

“We just did a bunch of tests and so far, everything seems to be going well. Considering I’m a fair bit older than your usual new mother,” Iris said. “I think we’re both still in a bit of shock.”

“Imagine… you’re having a baby. We’re having a baby. This is exciting,” Wills said. “They’ll be at Hogwarts together!” All three of us just stared at him as he grinned. Daisy gaped up at him and then looked back at us.

“If it’s alright, could we just… keep this amongst ourselves. We’re still wrapping our heads around it,” Iris said.

“Of course,” Wills said immediately. “Totally understand.” I frowned at him. This had disaster written all over it. Of all the people to find out, it had to be Wills. There was no telling how long before he slipped and told someone. I rolled my eyes and huffed.

“Thank you, Wills,” Iris said.

“Pix, we should get going. We’re about to be late,” Wills said, looking down at her. She looked up at him and back at us.

“Yes… but we’re talking about this later,” she said, shooting us a scowl before they walked off.

“Well… that could have gone better,” I said, turning to watch them.

“Does Daisy look like she’s showing already?” Iris asked. I looked down at her, frowning. I hadn’t noticed anything. Iris just shook her head.

“Come on, Oliver… let’s get home…”


	4. Seeing Double

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Obviously, I don't own anything created by J.K. Rowling, but I do own the Wood kids and other OCs. Ah, and the story.
> 
> Setting: Next Generation (Post-Hogwarts - Mostly Original Characters)  
> Genre: Humor  
> Rating: M (Language)

_Daisy Wood  
_ _April 18, 2029  
_ _10 weeks_

I couldn’t believe it. The whole way up to the maternity wing, all I could think about was the fact that my mother - _my mother -_ was having another baby. This couldn’t be possible. She was nearly 60. Or well, close enough to 60. Surely there was some law of nature that dictated women stop having children before 56. Even witches. Forget that I knew that women on the island had children much later in life than even the wizarding world was used to. This wasn’t some family of Prostatis we were talking about - this was my family.

What’s more, _we were having children at the same time._

They would go to Hogwarts together. They would have to introduce themselves as aunt/uncle and niece/nephew. This was mad.

“Pix… you walked by the waiting room,” Wills said, grabbing me by the elbow. I stopped and looked at him and then up at the sign for the waiting room, pointing in the opposite direction.

“Why didn’t you bloody stop me?” I snapped, turning around and stalking in the other direction.

“You seemed to be deep in thought and… I was afraid you’d hex me,” he confessed.

“I wouldn’t hex you. Not in hospital,” I retorted, now walking up to check in. Once we were sat, I crossed my arms and huffed.

“Pix, are you angry?” Wills asked cautiously.

“Of course not!” I said. “Why would I be angry?”

“You seem upset,” he said.

“Well… how would you feel if you just found out that your mother was pregnant?” I spat, though managed to keep my voice down - the last thing I wanted was the whole world to find out that mum was having another baby. And I wasn’t completely sure why I was upset about this. It’s not like it was Mum and Dad’s fault. They seemed rather shell shocked themselves. Or well, suppose it is their fault, seeing as how babies are made. Immediately, I grimaced. That was the absolute last thing I needed in my head right now.

“It’s a bit mental,” he replied, chuckling softly. “I don’t think I’ve ever heard of something like this happening before.”

“And of course it would happen to our family. We can’t ever be just normal,” I huffed. It was true. Everything seemed to happen to our family. And just when things had just settled. But now it was something else that would lead to pure chaos. Again. “Bloody hell, the press is going to have a field day…” Wills snorted.

“Pix, you know how they are. If there’s nothing going on, they’ll just invent something. At least this time, it’s something true,” he remarked. I scowled at him. How dare he be taking this news better than me. “You honestly don’t find the humor in this?”

“No!” I snapped. “This isn’t funny!”

“It is a bit funny,” he said, still chuckling. “The look on your face when you saw that pamphlet…”

“Shut it. You didn’t know what geriatric meant,” I said, turning to look across the room.

“Did too. Was just confused for a moment,” he said. “Besides, isn’t this frustration really about the fact that your trousers are too tight.”

“No,” I said. Though it was partially the reason I was in a foul mood. The past couple weeks it was getting harder to squeeze into my clothes, and I was getting dangerously close to needing larger practice and game uniforms. I thought for sure I had more time before I started needing maternity clothes. And it definitely did not help with keeping the secret from the team. I did have to undress in front of them every day. Thankfully the blokes were mostly oblivious, though I had been sucking in as much as possible and relying on my metamorphmagus abilities more than usual. It was starting to get exhausting. I had no clue how Mum went years disguised as someone else.

I nearly thought I had been found out yesterday when Blanks made a joke about finally letting myself go now that I was married. Bray and Cunningham had to hold me back before I jumped him. Apparently, I didn’t deal with hormones well. We still hadn’t told the rest of the family, though Lucy and Dominique knew. I had them both do unbreakable vows that they wouldn’t tell Cunningham or Kelly before I told Coach. Was it a bit much? Perhaps. But I needed to buy myself more time before I told Coach Nilsson, who was sure to make me stop playing right away. And I was determined to keep playing as long as I could.

“Pix-”

“Yes, I suppose I’m being a bit unreasonable. And I am upset about my clothes. But… how _am_ I supposed to take this news?” I asked, looking up at him.

“Ehm, well… all good points, but I was just going to tell you that they’ve called your name,” he said, pointing over to a healer waiting with an expectant look on her face.

“Oh,” I said, hopping up and walking towards her. Wills fell into step next to me as we followed her back. It was one of the assistant healers.

“We’ll just start off with a scan and then Healer Smithers will be in to check on baby,” she said soothingly.

“No,” I said, stopping suddenly. The woman turned, looking at me. “Where’s Healer Walker? That’s our healer, is it not?” I did not want the man who delivered me, who was likely looking after my mother, to also be looking after me. It was silly, for sure, but it’s what I wanted. She chuckled.

“Of course, of course. But Healer Walker is on holiday this week. I promise you, she will be back to taking care of you by your next appointment,” she said, continuing on. I breathed a sigh of relief as we started walking again. It wasn’t that I didn’t like Smithers. Just felt a bit odd, is all.

The healer led us into an exam room and patted the bed. I hopped up and settled in, looking over at the odd screen that was set up next to me. Wills sat on a stool at my side and grabbed my hand as the healer started pulling up my top.

“Already got a bit of a belly, I see,” she said brightly.

“Is that normal?” I asked, worried. I hoped this didn’t mean that I was one of those women who ballooned out. It would be harder to get back into form after the baby came. She just chuckled in response.

“Every woman starts showing in her own time. Perhaps baby is just a bit on the bigger side,” she said, settling on her own stool before pulling her wand out. Bugger. That wouldn’t bode well when it came time to deliver. I was already on the small side as it was.

“Will we see the baby today?” Wills asked eagerly, practically bouncing.

“Should, as long as baby isn’t playing hide-and-seek with us,” she replied before waving her wand over my stomach and murmuring a spell. “Let’s see… hmm… hmm… Ah! There we are! Oh!”

“What is it?!”

“Something wrong?!”

Both Wills and I were leaning towards the screen, straining to see whatever it was that had caused the healer to react. I could already feel my heart start to race. Only 10 weeks along and already we were facing a problem. This is why I didn’t want to tell anyone yet. Ruddy Wills and his big mouth.

“Oh, no problem. None at all that I can see,” she replied, smiling at us. “Both of them look just fine.”

“Good… wait. What?! Both of them?” I asked, suddenly freezing up. I could feel Wills go still next to me as well. I looked at the screen again. There it was. Two very distinct forms next to each other. Fucking Merlin’s beard… twins?

Wills leapt off his stool and started bouncing around the room, doing some sort of wonky dance.

“TWINS? TWINS! YES! WE’RE HAVING TWINS!” he shouted gleefully. I’m sure my mouth was open as I continued staring. Of course, I would be the one pregnant with bloody twins. Though I suppose I should be thanking the stars it wasn’t triplets. I heard Wills plop back down on the stool and kiss the side of my head.

“This is probably why you’re already starting to show,” the healer continued, completely ignoring the fact I had turned into a statue and hadn’t uttered a word in the last few moments.

“Are they identical? Identical multiples run in the family,” Wills said. The healer leaned closer to the screen.

“Can’t really tell at the moment, but should be able to before they are born. Perhaps when you come for your next scan,” she said, turning to us. The smile quickly fell from her face. “Dear me, Mrs. Wills. Are you alright?” I looked at her face and just blinked.

Words would not seem to form in my head. Perhaps it was also due to the shock of finding out about Mum just before this. Merlin, I didn’t think my heart could handle anymore surprises today.

“We got a bit of a shocking news just before the appointment. Shocking in a good way, mind you. But I think her brain’s just a bit overloaded at the moment,” I heard Wills explain. The healer looked a bit relieved.

“Ah, well then, I’ll just get you some photos and then go see to Healer Smithers,” she said, turning back to the contraption and pressing a few buttons. She then waved her wand again, murmuring something else. The screen went blank as a couple photographs shot out of a slot. She handed them to Wills before quickly leaving the room.

“I can’t seem to tell what they are,” Wills said, putting the photographs close to his face.

“You won’t be able to until about 16 weeks,” I murmured, still staring at the blank screen.

“Ah, good to see you’ve regained the ability to speak,” he replied. I turned to look at him.

“Twins? Two at once?” I asked. He just grinned and nodded, holding the photographs up to me. I took one and stared down at it, watching the two babies moving around. It was almost as though they were playing together already.

“That’s them, Pix. Little Pix 1 and Little Pix 2,” he said softly, leaning over to look at it with me. I covered my mouth as the tears welled up.

Merlin, those were our kids. _Our_ kids.

“There, there, Pix,” Wills said soothingly as he put and arm around me.

“Two of them,” I said, looking up at him. “We’re having two babies.”

“Are you upset? Scared? What’s going on, Pix?” Wills asked, concerned. I looked back at the photo. I wasn’t upset. Though a bit scared. Mostly, I was just… overwhelmed. These two little blobs were currently growing inside me.

“Those are our babies,” I said, looking up at him, starting to smile. “And they’re already playing together… they’re going to be best friends, aren’t they?” Wills chuckled as he kissed me.

“Yes, those are our babies,” he said softly. “And I’m sure they’ll have their moments. We all remember your brothers.”

“They’re so tiny,” I replied. They were. And one was moving around more than the other. “That one’s a quidditch player, for sure.”

“Seeker. See how fast she is,” Wills said, pointing at it.

“Blimey, these two are going to kill my ribcage when they get bigger,” I said, falling back against a pillow.

“It’s only about 8 more months, Pix. And you won’t start feeling them for a few more weeks as it is,” he said.

“I know,” I replied, shooting him a scowl. He was starting to get a bit pretentious with everything he had learned from the books. But I found I couldn’t keep the scowl long as I looked back at the photo. I touched it lightly and then looked down at my still exposed stomach, taking in the slight protrusion. Suddenly, I couldn’t wait for it to get bigger. For when I could start feeling them move around. And then finally holding them in my arms.

I’m not sure why it was suddenly hitting me right then. I had known I was pregnant for about four weeks. But seeing the two little forms on the screen suddenly made it all the more real. In several months, I would be holding two little babies in my arms.

“It’s just now setting in, isn’t it?” Wills asked. I looked up at him.

“Did you suddenly learn how to read my mind?” I asked. He just chuckled. “Blimey… I’m really going to be a mum… and I’m getting a new brother or sister…” I looked back at the photo. “I need to apologize to Mum and Dad. I was horrid earlier.”

“I’m sure they’ll understand,” he said softly. I nodded.

“You think they’ll all be friends? My new brother or sister and ours?” I asked.

“Sure they will. And with Jamie and Lila’s too,” he said.

“This is going to be wonderful…”

~~~

_Jamie Wood  
_ _April 20, 2029_  
Lila - 10 weeks

I picked up a toy and stared at it, wondering just what it was that it did. There were always toys strewn about the townhouse Remus and Laura had moved into just before Gavin was born, no matter the fact that whenever I was there, Laura was constantly running around and picking them up. Gavin couldn’t even walk yet. How did one baby manage to get so many toys everywhere? And why did one tot need so many toys? Was this what was in store for me and Lila? Constantly tripping over blocks and such?

“Here you are,” Remus said, walking into the den and handing me a beer. He then fell into a nearby chair, sighing heavily.

“Where’s Laura and Gavin?” I asked. Lila was still out covering a match, so I took the opportunity to visit with my brother since he still didn’t get out much with the baby.

“At her mum’s,” he said.

“You’re looking a bit rough,” I said. “Noticed you were a bit slower at practice today.”

“Gavin was up screaming something fierce last night,” he replied rubbing his face.

“Still?” I asked, my eyes widening. I thought babies started sleeping through the night by this age.

“Not every night, but every so often he’s up,” Remus said with a sigh. He then smiled at me. “You ready for this, Jamie?” Was I? Lila and I had wanted to have children since before we were married. But I supposed I hadn’t stopped to really think about what happened after the baby was here. Of course, I had intended on helping out with everything. Feedings. Dressing. Nappies. But thinking about it was something entirely different than it actually happening. What if I did everything wrong?

“Is it that bad?” I asked. Remus laughed.

“Get as much sleep now as you can. Because I assure you, you won’t get a full night’s sleep for at least the first nine months, if you’re lucky. Even then, it’ll still be about 5 or 6 hours,” he said before taking a drink of his beer. I nodded slowly, wondering if I should start taking notes. Remus started laughing harder.

“What?” I asked.

“You’re thinking about taking notes, aren’t you?” he said.

“So? I feel like I should. It’s a lot to remember,” I said, starting to feel the panic rise. “What if I forget something? What if it’s something important? Merlin, what if I kill it!” I dropped my face into my hands as every possible worst case scenario flew through my mind.

“Relax, you have time. You still have to get through the pregnancy first,” Remus said, still laughing. I looked up at him. Christ, he was right. We still needed to get through pregnancy.

“Shit… I’ve been reading all the baby books, I forgot about the pregnancy books,” I said. “I should get home.” I started to stand, but Remus was up on his feet, moving faster than I expected, pushing me back down on the sofa.

“Sit down. Relax,” he said, staring at me.

“But I-”

“Isn’t that why you came over?” he asked, starting to smile. Yes. That was why I came over. For help. Lila had spent the morning sequestered in the bathroom vomiting and I had just hovered outside wondering what the hell I was supposed to do. She finally shouted for me to get to practice before my dad owled me to get my ass there. Or worse. Showed up at the house.

“So, what do I need to know?” I asked. Remus walked over and sat down.

“First of all, her word is law. No matter how ridiculous it is. And it’s likely to get ridiculous at times,” Remus said. “Laura sent me out in the middle of the night for ice cream once even though all the shops were closed. Told me not to bother coming back without it.” I just blinked at him.

“What did you do?” I asked, gulping slightly. Lila was normally rather calm. Surely she wouldn’t get like that.

“Popped over to Pix’s and stole some from her fridge,” he said. “Though wouldn’t recommend it for you. She’s likely to be a bit more hex-happy with the hormones. Just… always have ice cream in stock.” I nodded quickly.

“Got it. Ice cream. Always,” I said. “What else?”

“Probably best to have some crackers and ginger ale on hand for the morning sickness,” he added, looking up to the ceiling. “And tell her that she’s gorgeous.”

“That’s easy enough. I do it all the time,” I scoffed. That bit seemed like a no brainer.

“Trust me, times will get rough. Just say it a lot,” Remus replied. “You should probably get her one of those big body pillows too. Once she gets bigger, she’s going to struggle sleeping.” I nodded leaning forward. I really should be writing this all down. I barely passed Hogwarts and this seemed infinitely more important than potions or muggle studies.

“Should I… should we… you know. Is it bad for the baby?” I asked next, feeling my cheeks start to heat up. Remus chuckled.

“That, brother of mine, is one of the perks,” he said. “Completely fine, and she’s likely going to want it even more.” My eyes widened.

“Really?” I asked.

“Something with the hormones. And good way to induce labor if she’s late,” he added. I sighed and fell back onto the sofa. This really was a lot of information. I’d never remember it. I was going to screw up something. “You’re doing it again. Re-”

“I can’t relax, Remus!” I shouted as I sat up. “Lila’s having a baby! And I don’t know what to do! I mean, not like there’s not a lot I can do - she’s the one carrying it, after all. I’m just sitting here like a, like a damn flobberworm.” Remus just stared at me a moment.

“It’s scary. I know. The first few months I barely touched Laura, thinking I’d do something to hurt her or the baby. Then we had a right good row about it and I realized that… it’s okay to be scared. She was going mental as well. Then we sat down and talked about it. And we worked through it together. You have to help each other out. So, that’s my best advice. Keeping talking to Lila. Do whatever you can to make it easier for her. And when that baby comes and you see it and hold it for the first time, it’s like… nothing else in the world matters anymore. It’s just that child.”

I was silent a few moments, taking it in. Remus had rarely taken many things serious in his life outside of quidditch and our family. Laura was certainly the first. And then when Gavin came along, he definitely changed. He was still very much himself in a lot of ways, but he had grown more serious. More responsible. And watching him with Gavin - it was as though being a dad was what he was meant to be.

“We’re home!” Laura called out. Remus looked over, his face lighting up as he stood, leaving his empty beer on the table and walked across the room. Laura stepped in, holding a squirming Gavin. “Hey, Jamie.”

“Good to see you, Laura,” I replied.

“Getting some new dad advice, I take it,” she said with a smile as she handed over Gavin to Remus. The baby squealed as he started bouncing him around and cooing to him.

“A bit,” I said.

“All I’ll say is, stop freaking out so much. You and Lila are going to be great parents,” she said, looking over at Remus, who was lifting Gavin up and down. “If this idiot can do it, surely you can.”

“What did Mummy just call Daddy?” Remus asked, glancing over at her. Laura laughed as she stepped over and kissed his cheek.

“Daddy knows that Mummy loves him,” she replied. “Can you watch him a bit? I need to go get some laundry done.”

“Of course,” Remus said, still using the goofy tone that every adult got with infants. He then walked over at sat next to me. “Want to see Uncle Jamie?” Gavin looked over at me and giggled before holding out his chubby arms to me. I took him and he settled into my lap, looking up at me. He then started grabbing for my nose.

“You think it’s going to look like you or Lila?” Remus asked.

“Don’t really care as long as it’s got all its toes and fingers,” I said, making faces at Gavin. I gave myself a pig nose, grinning as he start squealing in joy.

“True… gonna need those for quidditch,” Remus replied. “Already got a toy broom picked out for this one once he’s big enough.”

“Surprised Da hasn’t given him one yet. He takes him up on the broom every chance he gets,” I said.

“Made him promise to let me and Laura get him his first one,” Remus replied. He looked up at me, still grinning. “See? You’re a natural. It’ll be fine.” I nodded as I looked down at Gavin again.

“Yea… it’ll be fine…”


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Obviously, I don't own anything created by J.K. Rowling, but I do own the Wood kids and other OCs. Ah, and the story.
> 
> Setting: Next Generation (Post-Hogwarts - Mostly Original Characters)  
> Genre: Humor  
> Rating: M (Language)

Oliver stumbled down the stairs, cursing under his breath as he nearly missed the last one and landed hard on his foot. Limping, he continued on towards the kitchen at the back of the house, seeing a light was already on. The crying continued upstairs.

Turning around the corner he stopped as Daisy turned around from the stove where she was boiling bottles.

“Fancy meeting you here,” she said, smiling slightly.

“Sure, the whole house is up,” Oliver said with a sigh as he walked over to a cabinet.

“I already got a load in here. Figured if one is up, they’ll all be up and hungry,” Daisy said. Oliver nodded and shut the cabinet, walking over to her.

“Wills with the twins?” he asked.

“Yep. Ran into Jamie coming down here. Probably see him soon as well,” she said, still staring at the bottles as they bobbed in the water.

“Bet Alan is glad that he and Bridget are in the guest room out in the gym,” I said. Daisy snorted.

“He could sleep through anything, the bugger,” she said, waving her hand and then stepping back, watching as the bottles lifted up into the air and began to dry themselves before floating over and landing gently on the counter. She glanced at Oliver. “Just how were you two planning on telling everyone?”

“What… huh?” Oliver asked, looking over at her, still in a bit of a sleep-deprived haze.

“If it hadn’t been ruined, how were you going to tell the family?” she asked, starting to make up the bottles, glancing at him. Oliver chuckled as he shook his head and started helping her.

“To be honest, we hadn’t figured that out yet,” he admitted. “But your mother was hellbent on waiting until she was at least 15 weeks.” Daisy chuckled as she raised an eyebrow at her father.

“Fifteen weeks in our family?” she asked. “Never would have made it. Obviously.” Oliver scowled at her.

“I would have kept my mouth shut that long,” he retorted. Daisy was full on laughing now.

“Right…” she said. “Unfortunately for you, we’ve got Uncle George in the family…”

“And unfortunately for you, you’re married to Wills…”

~~~

_Oliver Wood_  
_April 21, 2019  
_ _Iris - 6 weeks_

I leaned forward in my chair, watching as Pix flew high above the match, simultaneously watching for the snitch, while looking for openings in the Harpies plays. While she had stepped it back a notch lately, I still wasn’t so keen on her getting too reckless with the baby on the way. And I wondered how she managed to get this by Nilsson without telling him. The man had eyes like a hawk. I was surprised he hadn’t figured it out yet.

“Something up with Pix?” George asked from next to me. “Seems to be… taking it easy.” I glanced at him and then turned my attention back to the game, keeping a stern look on my face. She had insisted on keeping the pregnancy a secret from everyone else for a bit longer. Until she spoke with Nilsson and the team. Likely because Nilsson would do the same exact thing that I would.

Put Daisy on immediate maternity leave. Seekers were easily one of the most targeted players on the pitch and all it would take is one ill (or well) aimed bludger to end a pregnancy.

“I believe she’s been a bit under the weather,” Iris said casually before drinking from a water bottle.

“Told me that she had a pesky injury that wasn’t healing right,” Angelina replied. I shot Iris a look.

_“What? She hasn’t told me what the story is!”_ she replied in my mind. _“How was I supposed to know?”_ I just continued to stare at her.

“Hmm… under the weather or injured… which is it?” George asked, starting to grin. Bugger. I knew he’d start putting it all together. Though truth be told, I’d rather he focus on Pix rather than Iris. Thankfully Red wasn’t much of a drinker during matches, so it wasn’t that out of place when she refused a beer earlier. But it might become obvious if she kept refusing them the whole match. I glanced at George’s nearly empty cup, noting that he would be up to get another round soon.

_“Don’t worry… I’ve got that covered,”_ I heard Iris say. I glanced at her and just nodded slightly.

“Look at her go!” George shouted, jumping to his feet as Pix dove down suddenly, throwing off the Harpies chasers. She made a hard turn and flew away from the fray, barely avoiding a bludger. I couldn’t help but jump. That ruddy thing came a bit too close for comfort.

“Looks like she’s not that off,” Harry said from behind us. “She planning any flips this match?”

“Better not,” I muttered, earning a smack from Iris.

“Thought that was her tactic - she doesn’t plan anything,” Ginny said. It seemed no one had heard me.

“Still giving Lily a run for her money,” Ron said with a chuckle. I looked over, seeing another streak of red attempting to follow Daisy, though was still a bit behind her.

“Drives her mad,” Ginny said, shaking her head. “Anytime she’s at the house, it’s nothing but complaining about how she can’t catch up to her. Suppose it doesn’t help that they look so much alike. If it weren’t for their uniforms and Daisy’s speed, I probably couldn’t tell them apart at a distance.”

“I’ve told her about a thousand times that she needs to stop trying to copy Daisy’s style and develop her own,” Harry added. “Though I’m grateful that Bridge and Alan are letting her stay in the flat. Probably be worse if she were back at home all the time…”

“Nice save!” George shouted, clapping. “That Bray, he’s gotten really good. And Blanks, he’s turned into a bloody machine. Still no Kingfisher, but Merlin… I’m eager to see the matchup between Puddlemere and the Arrows in the final.” He cast another glance at me. “You already preparing for it?”

We still had about a month and a half of the regular season left and the playoffs bracket wouldn’t be set until the end of May. But I had already developed strategies for all the teams in the top 8 - and two different ones specifically for the Arrows depending on whether or not Pix would still be playing. I was leaning towards not, though you never knew with Pix. We likely had some major rows in our future over that very topic.

“It’s Wood. Of course, he’s got strategies,” Bill replied with a chuckle. “Probably for the entire top 10.”

“It’s what any good coach would do,” I replied. “A smart coach, at least. Sure, Nilsson’s got his own.”

“I would love to see his playbook,” Ginny said, leaning forward in her chair. All of us turned to look at her, eyebrows raised. Her cheeks started turning pink as she realized what it sounded like. “Merlin, would you lot turn around! You know I meant his actual playbook!” George started howling in laughter as Harry just shook his head, an amused smile on his face.

“Where’s Perce? I thought he was coming,” Iris called out, looking down the row at Audrey.

“Got called into work,” she said with a sigh. “Though I’m fairly sure it was something minor and he only did it because he still doesn’t care much for quidditch.”

“He was born into the wrong family,” George said with a chuckle. “He and Bill were the only two who didn’t play, but at least Bill enjoys a match.”

“Oh, give him a break. He was stuck with you lot talking about it non-stop,” Angelina replied. “I’m actually rather surprised that none of ours played…”

“Must of skipped a generation,” George said, shaking his head.

“Didn’t in ours,” Ginny said. Iris chuckled from next to me.

“Ours either,” she said. “At least you didn’t get all your children in the League…”

“Well. I’m off to get another round,” George said, standing up. He really was rather predictable at times. He looked around the group. “Everyone else in? Iris?” She looked over at him and smiled, nodding. I hoped she wasn’t thinking about forcing me to drink everything for her. While I could still maintain a decent grip on alcohol, I wasn’t in my 20s or 30s anymore. Even if it was just beer.

“I’ll help,” Bill said, standing and then leaning over to kiss Fleur’s cheek before walking off with George.

“Finally, some peace and quiet,” I muttered to myself. Iris chuckled, then suddenly froze, a wonky look on her face. I turned to her, worried something was wrong. Smithers had assured us that everything was going well with the baby, but I had been reading up on so-called high-risk pregnancies like ours and usually spent half the night up worrying about all the possible complications ahead of us.

“Everything alright, Red?” I whispered. She closed her eyes and breathed slowly.

“Just feeling a bit sick,” she said. “It’ll pass. Watch the game.”

I turned my attention back to the game, though kept an eye on Red. She hadn’t had morning sickness that bad with the triplets or Daisy, but considering her age, this new one would likely be something entirely different.

“I’ve got to get to the loo,” she whispered as her eyes flew open. I had to hand it to her, she was a great actress. I knew she wanted to run for it but managed to stand and calmly make her way down the aisle, passed myself, Angelina, Audrey and a few others. She then kept her pace natural as she made her way to the VIP bathrooms at the back of the family box. I tried not to stare after her, though couldn’t help a few glances.

“What’s gotten into you?” Angelina asked. It was then I noticed that she had been watching me.

“Nothing,” I said, turning back to the match, watching as Lily attempted to cut off Pix. Pix simply leapt over her and smoothly landed on her broom, continuing on. I felt my heart stop yet again as she fumbled a bit more than she usually did. Between her and keeping George off the trail and Iris, I was going to go into full-blown cardiac arrest by the end of the match. I could sense Angelina start to smile from my side, but kept my eyes trained on the field. I was determined to give nothing away.

“Here we are!” George said loudly, sending beers to the various members of the group. I grabbed two from the air and sat Red’s in the cupholder before starting in on my own. “So… when are the rest of your brood going to start popping out kids?”

I couldn’t help myself as I spit out my beer.

“I… what?”

I turned and saw the entire family just staring at me with varying looks of amusement on their faces. Bloody meddlesome lot, all of them.

“I don’t know,” I said simply, turning back to look at the pitch.

“Get off it, Wood. It’s obvious,” George replied.

“What’s obvious?” I asked, still watching Daisy.

“It’s Daisy, isn’t it? How far along is she?” he pushed.

“It’s… not,” I said. I’ll be damned if any of them accused me of not trying to keep the secret.

“She’s been playing different the past few weeks. And Wills’ got a goofy grin on his face all the time,” George continued.

“It’s Wills. He’s always got a goofy grin on his face,” I replied, frowning at him.

“Maybe I’ll just make a trip over to the players’ box and have a little chat with him,” George said, starting to stand. Merlin, no. If he got Wills going, half the League would know by the end of the match.

“Don’t!” I shouted, stopping George as his grin just got bigger. I sighed and shook my head, glancing around the box. It was just us today along with Kelly’s parents. And he was family now. I then looked back at the pitch, knowing that Pix was likely going to kill me for this later. But at the same time, I was tired of holding onto the secret. I was about to be a grandad again, dammit. I should be allowed to brag. Just as long as I didn’t spill the other secret. I was still coming to terms with the fact that I was about to be a father again.

“Pix is expecting. A little over 10 weeks. Lila as well,” I finally said. There was a moment of silence before the box was suddenly full of noise. George started laughing loudly, no doubt already counting up the money he was about to win from Charlie. Everyone else was clamoring to offer congratulations. I couldn’t help as a goofy smile broke out on my face.

“How much you wanna wager that one or both of them are pregnant with twins or more?” George asked. I rolled my eyes.

“Far as we know, it’s just one for both of them,” I replied, noticing that Red had stepped out of the loo and was walking back to the group, a confused look on her face. I smiled sheepishly.

“Oliver just told us the news! Congratulations!” Fleur said, jumping up and hugging her. Iris met my eyes and her look of confusion quickly turned to one of anger. Bugger. This wasn’t going to be good.

“He did, did he?” she replied, her voice turning ice cold. “I thought we had decided to wait.”

“Well, I know we were supposed to, but is it really so bad for the family to know?” I replied. “They aren’t going to tell anyone.” Iris rolled her eyes as Fleur stepped back, a bit perplexed. Red planted her hands on her hips, her eyes flashing.

Shit. This was going to be really bad.

“Oliver William Wood. I asked you to do one thing and you couldn’t do it!” she shouted. The rest of the family shirked back in their chairs, knowing not to get in Iris’ way when she was mad. Course they were also confused about why she was angry. I was as well. I figured she’d scold me but then just laugh it off. Pix was the one I had been more worried about. She _would_ hex me.

“I think maybe you’re overreacting just a bit-”

“I am not!” she shouted. “May I remind you that while you’re passing out cigars and getting congratulations, I’m the one carrying this child for the next eight bloody months!”

The entire room fell into shocked silence as the crowd outside cheered. No one dared to comment on the game or even look to see what was going on. So that’s why she was mad.

“Iris… Oliver just told us about Daisy and Lila,” Fleur said timidly. Iris whipped her head to look at Fleur and then back at me. I tried to offer up a smile, but I’m sure it looked more like a grimace.

“Oh.”

“YES! FINALLY!” George shouted as he jumped up and started dancing. I wondered how long he had been holding that in. Everyone else seemed to visibly relax now that it looked as though Red wasn’t going to throw me out onto the pitch.

“Wait… you two are having another baby?” Harry asked, his eyes wide as he looked at Iris.

“We just found out,” she said. “Apparently it’s not uncommon for women of my age to still get pregnant.” George stopped dancing suddenly as he looked at me and then Iris.

“Hold on, so you’re having a baby - at the same time as two of your children,” he said.

“Apparently,” Iris said, rolling her eyes.

“This is brilliant,” George said. He stepped over and started slapping me on the back, hard. “Oliver, you old dog…”

“Mum is going to lose it,” Ginny said, starting to smile slightly.

“How did the kids take the news?” Angelina asked.

“Only Daisy and Wills know. We ran into them when we were leaving our appointment,” Iris said, as she took turns receiving hugs from Audrey, Fleur and Angelina. “We were planning to wait a bit longer before we told anyone else… just to make sure everything is progressing. Though suppose we should tell the boys this weekend.”

“How are you feeling?” Fleur asked.

“Got a bit of morning sickness, but it’s not nearly as bad as before,” Iris said, moving to sit next to me.

“I knew if I held out hope, eventually you two would get knocked up again,” George said, grinning at us. Angelina then smacked him, hard. “Ow! Woman!”

“Knock it off, George!” she said. “Can’t you see that they’re still reeling.” George looked over at us.

“Seem to be fine to me,” he quipped. I rolled my eyes and shook my head. Truth be told, I was still reeling a bit. It hadn’t quite settled in just yet that we were going to have another child. I was still trying to wrap my head around the fact that Daisy and Jamie were having kids.

“Looking a bit queasy there, Wood,” Bill said. I shot him a glare.

“Perce is going to be so upset that he missed this match,” Audrey said with a chuckle. I turned my attention back to the match, catching Pix just as she took a nosedive after the snitch.

“If you’re all finished, I’d like to watch my daughter win this match,” I said, motioning towards the field.

“This is so not over, Wood…”

~~~

After the game, Iris and I went straight home, hoping to avoid spilling the secret to anyone else. She threatened George within an inch of his life if he told anyone else before she was ready. Thankfully Red was still rather scary and he managed to squeak out that he wouldn’t tell a soul - even his parents and Charlie. Though I wagered that would only last so long.

I glanced over at her from my chair where I was reading the paper as she sipped her tea and flipped through the channels.

“We really should figure out when to tell the kids,” I said. She glanced at me and looked back over at the screen. “It’s only a matter of time before Wills slips.”

“I know… just… hoped to keep it to ourselves a bit longer,” she said with a sigh. I frowned as I put the paper down and moved to sit next to her.

“You are… happy about this, aren’t you, Red?” I asked softly. She put her mug down and looked over at me.

“I’m not quite sure how I feel about it,” she admitted. “I mean, I am happy. But… I’m worried. I am much older. And there’s no telling what could go wrong.” I reached over and pulled her into my arms. “Are you happy?” I was silent a bit. “Oliver?”

“I am,” I said, worried if I were silent too long then she’d start worrying. “Just… it is a bit unexpected…” Iris snorted.

“You could say that again,” she replied. “How do you think the boys are going to take this?”

“No idea,” I replied. Which was true. Daisy hadn’t reacted all that well and I had assumed that she would be the most level-headed of the bunch. Granted, she was also pregnant, so that could have had something to do with it. “Though, hopefully better than Pix...”

“We should tell them soon,” she said. “Perhaps on Sunday?” I nodded.

“Best to get it out of the way…”

“MUM! DAD! WHAT THE HELL?!”

The two of us flinched and sat up as we heard the front door slam shut. I groaned as I looked over at Iris as Daisy stormed into the living room.

“YOU TOLD THE FAMILY??!!” she shrieked, her eyes flashing red.

“It was an accident,” Iris started to say. Daisy just ignored her as she fixed her glare on me.

“Mum, I need you to move away from Dad. I do not want to hurt the baby,” she said.

“See here, Daisy-”

“MUM! HE TOLD THE FAMILY I WAS PREGNANT!” she shouted, stomping her foot.

“They were going to find out eventually,” I said weakly.

“Pix, calm down,” Jamie said, appearing next to her, a frown on his face.

“Dad just told the whole family about the babies,” she said, still glaring at me. Jamie looked over at us but didn’t seem nearly as upset as Pix.

“Oh, well… suppose after Wills dropped the secret in front of everyone at the party, this isn’t anything,” Jamie said lightly. Daisy growled as she glared at him. I looked over at Red, the both of us not so surprised to hear that. It was a matter of time before he slipped up. And of course, now it was clear why she was so upset. “Honestly, you should probably get back. Wills is done for.”

Iris stood up from the sofa and walked over to Daisy, pulling her in for a hug.

“Coach bench you?” she asked.

“Maybe,” Daisy said glumly.

“If it makes you feel better, your father also dropped our secret,” she replied. I saw Jamie look at them in confusion and then back over at me.

“What secret?” he asked.

“Mum’s pregnant,” Daisy said.

“And I did not spill that secret. Your mother did that on her own,” I replied, a little put out. I was not about to take the blame for that one. Iris scowled at me slightly. “Granted it was because she thought I had told…”

“Hold on, you’re pregnant?” Jamie shouted, his voice going up a pitch as he stared at Iris.

“Just found out. Ran into Wills and Daisy leaving our appointment,” Iris said tiredly. Jamie glared at her.

“You knew and you didn’t tell me?” he asked. Daisy rolled her eyes.

“It was my 10-week, so forgive me if it slipped my mind. Not to mention, they didn’t want us to say anything,” she grumbled. Jamie just stared back and forth between myself and Iris, his mouth falling open.

“How is that… what… are you serious?!” he asked. I stood, rolling my eyes.

“Hopefully Remus and Alan take it better,” I said. Jamie just continued to gape at us. Sighing heavily, I walked over to the liquor cabinet and poured a strong firewhisky, then walked back, handing it to Jamie. He took the glass and downed a good bit of it, sputtering a bit.

“Pregnant?” he said again, staring at Iris.

“It’s not like it’s the most unheard-of thing,” she said, getting slightly irritated. “The professor said it’s rather common on the island.” Jamie just shook his head as he took another sip of his drink. He then walked over and sat on the sofa.

“I’m going to have another brother or sister,” he murmured, seemingly in shock. He looked up at myself and then Iris again, before shaking his head. I looked over at her and sighed.

“Best to get the others here too. They should know,” I said. She nodded and looked over at Daisy and then Jamie.

“This is going to be a long night,” she muttered.


	6. Wills' Big Mouth

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Obviously, I don't own anything created by J.K. Rowling, but I do own the Wood kids and other OCs. Ah, and the story.
> 
> Setting: Next Generation (Post-Hogwarts - Mostly Original Characters)  
> Genre: Humor  
> Rating: M (Language)

_Daisy Wills  
_ _April 21, 2029  
_ _10 weeks_

I really didn’t want to be at the after party. I was tired and aching after the game - my back especially. Not to mention, it was getting harder to play off the fact that I wasn’t drinking, but Wills said that if we skipped too many - especially after we won - that would be more obvious that something was up. We worked out a decent enough plan. Namely Wills would make me virgin drinks and then secretly take my shots when the others weren’t looking. We had been there a couple hours and his cheeks were already turning slightly pink. But no one was none the wiser about our little ploy. Save my brothers.

It seemed everyone wanted to do a shot with me that night. Except for Lily, who was scowling at me from the corner of the room where she stood with the rest of the Harpies.

“You seriously have some mad drinking skills, Pix. Even Wills is barely keeping up,” John said, walking up to me. I glanced over where Wills was making up another drink, silently begging him to hurry up in case another shot was coming.

“It’s a talent,” I replied, smiling at him.

“How’s the shoulder?” he asked, his eyes moving to my left shoulder.

“Still a bit tight,” I commented before taking a drink and then remembering that it was empty. That had been my excuse the past few weeks for taking things easy in practice and in games. I had to give in and tell Victoire the truth so she could write up a note from St. Mungo’s. This whole cloak-and-dagger thing with the pregnancy was getting tiring, but it was necessary if I wanted to keep playing a bit longer. He nodded.

“Maybe we should consider some physical therapy. Seems like it’s still messing with your game,” he commented. I nodded quickly.

“I’m sure Victoire would work with me. I’m still seeing her often enough,” I said.

“Here you are, Pix,” Wills said, grinning as he walked up, holding a glass out to me. He then looked at John. “Where’s that lovely wife of yours?”

“Over with her team… nursing her wounds,” John replied, smiling. He had married the Harpies player over the winter break. The two were a good fit and I was happy to see him settled in. I couldn’t help but wonder how long before they started having kids. I then shook my head. Merlin, I seriously had babies on the brain.

“It was a close call. But I knew my Pix would pull it off,” Wills said, grinning down at me. 

“We all did,” John said, glancing down at me with an amused smile. Blimey, we’d need to back off on the drinks else I’d have to levitate him home. I looked around the flat for my brothers, hoping I could get one of them on board to help me out. Alan still hosted all the after parties at his flat, thankfully. Though after Bridget moved in and Christos moved out, they moved things around. Lily was now in a new, larger room upstairs while Alan and Bridge had moved into the master suite downstairs. Though I was sure once they started having kids, she’d finally move out on her own or in with one of her schoolmates. I was surprised she had stayed with them this long. Granted James and Freddie were still living together, holding out on their singlehood while all the rest of us were getting married. Even Louie was engaged to a lovely lass he met in Paris. Roxanne and Christos were living together, though we reckoned a proposal would come along any day now. Even Rose had moved in with Scorpio - finally. Thinking about it, I supposed this was Lily’s best option at the moment, until she finally moved into her own place. Honestly, I think she still lived here just because we all still ended up hanging out here anyway when we weren’t at Wills’ and mine.

“Perhaps we should be heading out soon,” I said cautiously, looking up at Wills. He was starting to sway a bit.

“Nonsense. I’m perfectly fine,” he said boisterously, wrapping his arm around my shoulder. “Tonight is the night to celebrate! You won your match and-”

“Yes, celebrate,” I said quickly, cutting him off as I clinked my glass against his. He laughed and took a large drink as John continued to watch us curiously.

“Anything else we should be celebrating?” he asked.

“Nope,” I said, smiling at him. He glanced down at my glass and back up at me as I looked away, willing my hair not to change colors. Otherwise we’d give up the whole ruse. 

“I’m just… so happy,” Wills said, kissing the side of my head. I rolled my eyes. Bloody Wills.

“Let’s get you some water,” I said, quickly pulling him away towards the drink table. Once we were far enough away, I glared up at him. “Watch it, Wills,” I hissed up at him.

“I’m fine,” he said, still grinning as he took the glass of water I held out to him.

“You were about to announce everything just a minute ago,” I said, glancing around.

“Was not,” he said before sipping at the water. “But can you blame me? I have to wait a whole three more weeks before I can-”

“Shut it!” I hissed. 

“Three whole weeks until what?” Blanks asked. I spun around, my eyes going wide. The blighter had gotten quiet. 

“Nothing,” I said quickly. “Where’s Aleka?”

“Out on a mission with her brother,” he said, pouring himself another drink. I still wasn’t sure what exactly was happening with those two. The twins had settled in London for the long-term, it seemed, but Blanks’ relationship with the tracker seemed to be just about the only thing he wasn’t constantly talking about. And Aleka wasn’t offering much either, though we all knew that she was still meeting up with him frequently and would get tickets in the players’ box for nearly every match we had when she wasn’t working or checking back in on the village.

He glanced sideways at me and Wills. 

“You sure there’s nothing-”

“No, nothing at all,” I said before pulling Wills off. 

“For someone keeping a secret, you’re certainly making it obvious,” Wills tried to whisper to me, though he failed from some of the looks we got.

“At least I’m trying,” I shot back, frowning up at him.

“There’s Pix! Come on! Got another team shot ready!” Bray shouted, grabbing my arm and pulling me over. I shot a look over at Wills but was carried away into the middle of my team before he could catch up. Bugger. How was I supposed to fake a shot when Wills was so far away?

“You know… I think I’ve had enough,” I said, smiling up at the blokes.

“But you seem completely fine!” Cunningham shouted. 

“And I thought you like whiskey,” Kelly added. I glanced around, trying to find someone - anyone - who could help me out of this one. Lucy and Dominique were nowhere to be found and Wills had been stopped by one of the Wasps. He kept glancing over at me, trying to inch his way closer, but there was no way he’d get there.

“I do… but we’ve done a lot tonight and I’m a bit tired,” I said, putting on my winningest smile. 

“You are hiding something,” Blanks said, starting to grin. 

“Am not!” I shouted as I took the shot from Bray’s hand and downed it. Rather I held it in my mouth. That wasn’t a good idea as the taste immediately made me gag a bit. Before I spewed it all out and then some, I disappeared, orbing to the upstairs bathroom where I spit out everything into the toilet and then waited. After a few minutes when it was clear nothing else was coming out, I quickly rinsed out my mouth and slowly made my way back downstairs, hoping I could get away from the third degree. Granted that wasn’t likely after my flashy disappearance. Merlin, I really needed to stop and think before I did things sometimes.

As I made my way to Wills’ side, I looked over, seeing Kelly and Cunningham studying me closely. Fuck. They knew. I knew we shouldn’t have come. I’m sure everyone would have believed me if I had said my shoulder hurt too much.

“Where’d you go?” Wills asked, suddenly realizing I was next to him.

“Bathroom,” I replied. He immediately looked concerned.

“Everything alright? You’re not sick, are you? Is it the-”

“Wills!” I hissed. 

“Seriously, if something’s wrong we should go to St. Mungo’s. I won’t have anything bad happen to Little Pix 1 and 2,” he continued.

“Little Pix 1 and 2?”

I narrowed my eyes at Wills before looking behind him to see John standing there, a look of confusion on his face.

“Daisy… are you…”

I huffed and rolled my eyes. I knew this wouldn’t last long. 

“Yes! We’re expecting twins!” Wills shouted suddenly, causing me to jump. Fuck. I had hoped maybe we could convince John to keep the secret, but now the entire party went silent, staring at us. 

“Why don’t you call up The Prophet while you’re at it,” I muttered. 

Just as quickly as it went silent, a cheer rose up as everyone clamored to get over to me and Wills. He was getting more than one slap on the back as various people fought to give me a hug. I glared over each and every person’s shoulder in Wills’ direction. He was too drunk and happy to notice.

“So… how long have you known?” John asked, stepping up to me while the rest of my team lifted Wills up into the air and started cheering. I rolled my eyes.

“Found out a few weeks ago that I’m pregnant,” I replied.

“And just found out it’s twins!” Wills said boisterously, earning another glare from myself. 

“We were going to wait a few more weeks before we said anything,” I said, gritting my teeth.

“You should have said something sooner,” a calm voice said from behind me. My eyes widened as I turned and saw a concerned Coach standing there, his arms crossed in front of him. Blimey. I thought he had already left. I smiled sheepishly.

“Well… just wanted to make sure everything was going well an-”

“You’re pregnant with twins, Daisy,” he said seriously.

“But everyone else played-”

“Everyone else was not pregnant with twins or a seeker,” he said pointedly. A bit of a hush had gone over the party.

“But Ashley-”

“Again. Not twins,” he replied. I huffed and stomped my foot.

“I can still-”

“Let’s not ruin the mood, shall we?” Wills said, still grinning as he grabbed me and pulled me away. “Conversation for Monday morning.” He was looking towards Nilsson, who just rolled his eyes. I looked over, catching Lila and Jamie chuckling. I narrowed my eyes at them and started to open my mouth. If our secret was going to be blown, theirs could too.

“Fucking hell, Pix. Twins?!” Remus exclaimed as he and Alan jumped in front of me. I took a step back, not expecting them to cut me off. Alan picked me up and swung me around.

“I knew it’d be you!” he shouted.

“Put me down!” I shouted, hitting his arm. He continued chuckling as he placed me down on the ground and looked over at Wills.

“I wish I could take credit for that, but it was likely your side,” Wills said, sliding his arm around my waist. 

“Wait… is this the reason why Lucy’s been getting tongue-tied the last few weeks whenever I asked about you?” Kelly asked. 

“I made her and Dom do unbreakable vows not to tell you or Cunningham until I told Coach,” I said. Both men’s eyes widened as they stared at me. “I was serious about no one finding out!”

“Wasn’t like it would take long,” Wills said, chuckling next to me as he took another drink. “The whole family knows.”

“The triplets and such wouldn’t say a word. Neither would Mum and Dad,” I scoffed.

“Got that wrong,” Wills replied. I turned to him, narrowing my eyes.

“What are you talking about, Bryan Wills?” I asked. His eyes widened as he realized his slip. And he knew I was angry if I used his full name.

“Nothing,” he said, starting towards the drink table again, despite having a nearly full glass. I reached out and grabbed his arm. 

“Wills…”

“Well… I think your dad let it slip… George came up and congratulated me after the match,” he admitted. My eyes widened and I’m sure they flashed red as everyone jumped back slightly. “At least that one wasn’t on me…”

“Bloody fucking Da,” I snapped. All I could see was red. Before I could even think, I had disappeared.

~~~

_Jamie Wood_  
_April 21, 2029  
_ _Lila - 10 weeks_

I couldn’t help but laugh as Daisy glared at Wills after he shouted the announcement that she was pregnant. Of course, that was followed up by the announcement that it was twins. I looked over at Remus and Alan who happened to look over at me the same time.

_“Thank Merlin it wasn’t us,”_ Remus thought. Alan continued to stare at me before glancing over at Lila.

“No,” I said, clearly seeing the question in his head. We had just been in for the 10-week checkup not long ago and the healer confirmed that there was just one baby there. I had specifically asked them to check a couple times seeing as I was one-third of identical triplets.

“Thank Merlin for that,” Lila said from my side. 

“I knew it’d be Pix,” Alan said, grinning as he held his hand out. Remus just shook his head as he reached in his pocket and fished out some coins. I just shook my head - my brothers would never give up the betting. Of course, at that moment, Lila would smirk and step over, holding out her own hand to Remus.

“Lila!” I shouted as she just grinned at me as Remus grumbled and handed over more money. Bridget only laughed harder.

“Just watch it. You two may be the ones that end up with 10 kids,” Remus said, looking at her. 

“We’re waiting a while longer,” Bridget replied. “Christ, we aren’t even married yet.”

“Just when are you two planning to tie the knot?” Lila asked, looking over at her. Bridget shrugged and looked over at Alan, her eyebrows raised.

“After all the babies are here,” he replied. “Can’t have you lot stealing the limelight, can I? Plus I know how much Pix likes to drink and dance at weddings.” 

“Just don’t hire Hans,” Remus said. “Unless you want to kill Dad.” Alan chuckled as he looked over at Bridget.

“No. We are not hiring him for the wedding just to take the mickey out of your dad,” she said firmly. 

“Ah, Bridge. You know me too well,” he said, bending over to kiss her cheek. 

“And you still agreed to marry him,” Remus replied. 

“He’s got a softer side,” she said, gazing up at Alan. 

I couldn’t help but smile. It still made me laugh a bit to think of Alan settling down. Ever the ladies’ man, we had all been convinced he’d never marry. Granted that was before he had died and come back. Suppose that changed one’s perspective on things.

“Merlin, so Pix is really having twins!” our cousin James exclaimed as he bounded up to our little group as Remus, Alan and Bridget went over to talk to Daisy and Wills. Or probably to stop her from hexing him. She didn’t look particularly happy to have been outed. Nilsson was watching her closely from the other side of the room and I had a good feeling that was the reason why. He was going to ground her.

“Finally! I have a chance!” Lily declared gleefully as she ran up just behind him. “And twins! It’ll take her twice as long to get back on the pitch!”

“And that’s what you’re focused on?” her boyfriend, Nick Meadows, asked. He was chaser for the Magpies. Lily frowned up at him. 

“You obviously do not know my sister that well, mate,” James replied as he took a drink. 

“Besides, we all know Pix. She’ll be back on the pitch faster than anyone else after maternity leave just to prove she can,” I replied, looking back over at the couple. Daisy’s hair was starting to turn orange as Wills wore a sheepish expression. That did not bode well. What the bloody hell could he have done now? “She still wants to play the World Cup next year.”

“There’s no way,” Lily said. I looked over, noticing her eyes were wide as James chuckled. 

“Do not ever underestimate the Flaming Pixie,” Lila said sagely. “I should know.” 

“Jamie! Mate! Congratulations!” Freddie, my other cousin, said, as he walked up to our group. My eyes widened as I immediately looked over at Lila. 

_“I haven’t said anything,”_ I immediately sent her. 

“Going to be an uncle again!” Freddie continued, causing me to breathe a sigh of relief.

“Yea, we’re happy for her and Wills. Though didn’t know it was twins,” I said, looking over at him. Granted it was too late. He, James, and Lily hadn’t missed the look I sent Lila. Freddie was started to smile as Lily took a step closer. James was looking at the two of them and then back at us. 

“Oi! Alan! You and Bridget expecting too? Or is it just Daisy, Wills, Jamie and Lila?” Freddie shouted, looking over at my brothers. I whipped my head over to the two, noticing that Daisy had disappeared and Wills was doing a drunken circle in his spot, trying to find his missing wife. Blimey, how many shots had he done? He’d need to stay here the night at this rate. Before I could send anything to either, Alan turned to the two and started laughing.

“Guess everyone is making announcements tonight,” he said loudly, gaining the attention of everyone in a five-foot radius. Which was a lot. “Nah, just Pix and Lila.” I could feel Lila freeze slightly next to me. Alan’s eyes widened. “Oh, fuck.” 

James and Freddie started laughing loudly as I looked over at Lila.

_“Well… it was going to come out eventually,”_ she thought, offering me a small smile. At least we had told our parents beforehand. 

“YOU HEAR THAT EVERYONE! JAMIE AND LILA ARE HAVING A BABY TOO!” Wills shouted. I rolled my eyes and shook my head as even more people looked over at us. 

“You’re taking care of him until Pix comes back to collect him,” I said to Alan. 

“Why me?” he asked incredulously.

“You’re the only one without kids or a pregnant wife,” Remus said immediately. “And we’re already at yours.” 

“Oh, this is priceless,” Lily said. “Two of you at once.” 

“It’ll be you next,” Alan said, glancing over at her. Lily laughed harder as James and Nick both looked a bit stricken. 

“No. Not until she’s 30,” James said, frowning at his little sister.

“Come off it, James. First of all, I’ve got to get to the World Cup first,” Lily said, looking at him. 

“Good,” he replied, now frowning at Nick.

“Oi, we’ve only been dating three months,” Nick said, his hands up. James just narrowed his eyes at him.

“Right… round of shots to congratulate Jamie!” Alan shouted, earning a cheer from the crowd. I knew it was an attempt to thwart whatever big brother act James was about to attempt to pull on the poor chaser. 

“Yes! Shots of celebration!” Wills shouted. 

“Not for you, mate,” Remus said.

“But I’m having a baby too!” Wills nearly whined. “I’m having two! That’s twice as many as Jamie! I deserve twice as many shots!”

“Yea, let’s get you to the sofa,” John said, throwing an arm around the wobbly chaser. “Just how much have you had tonight?”

“Dunno… I had to take all of Pix’s shots on the sly,” Wills said, willingly going for the time being. “You lot really like doing shots with my wife…” Normally he rivaled Pix in his ability to handle his liquor. Which meant that he must have had quite a lot to be this sloshed. 

“No wonder you gave up the secret,” John replied, smiling. 

“Twins… I’m having twins…” Wills said as they walked off. 

I looked over at Lila as she grinned up at me. 

“Poor Pix,” she said.

“Where did she go?” I asked, looking around.

“Seems Dad let it slip to the family about the baby,” Remus said. I sighed and shook my head before looking down at Lila.

“Go make sure she doesn’t kill him,” she said before kissing my cheek. “I’ll meet you at home.” 

“See you later…”


	7. Never End to Surprises

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Obviously, I don't own anything created by J.K. Rowling, but I do own the Wood kids and other OCs. Ah, and the story.
> 
> Setting: Next Generation (Post-Hogwarts - Mostly Original Characters)  
> Genre: Humor  
> Rating: M (Language)

Jamie groaned as he heard the symphony of cries coming from upstairs. He knew it was a bad idea to put all of the babies in the same room. It meant that every few hours, the entire house was up as one child started and the rest shortly followed. While Pix had the bright idea of doing it in shifts so they could all at least get some sleep, that had quickly proven ineffective after the first round of cries. They had all quickly forgotten who was supposed to go first and shuffled upstairs in a jumbled mess of sleep-deprived adults. They then stood there for a few moments, blankly staring at each other while mumbling about who’s turn it was as all the babies cried.

“Jamie… baby,” Lila murmured, not moving next to him.

“I know,” he said with a sigh as he sat up in bed and rubbed his face. Lila sighed as she threw the comforter off and sat up. “I’ve got it this time. You should stay and sleep.”

“It’s a group effort… remember?” Lila replied. “I will see to the little one. You bring the bottle?” Jamie nodded as he pushed out of the bed and moved towards his robe as Lila took a moment to gather herself before standing.

“Suppose this is the good thing about coming here for Christmas,” Jamie said with a smile. “Likely Pix and Wills are happy for the help.” Lila chuckled as she finally got out of the bed and walked over to her robe draped over the desk chair where she left it the last go ‘round. “Wills actually had a beard when he popped in for practice before the break.” 

“He’s always been so well-groomed. The last couple of months must have been interesting,” Lila said with a chuckle.

“He wasn’t as happy about twins after they arrived, that’s for sure,” Jamie said with a chuckle.

“Not the only one,” Lila replied, sending him a look.

“Right… certainly didn’t see that coming,” he replied. “It was strange enough finding out Mum was pregnant...” Lila chuckled.

“I take it that you were not expecting such news that night,” she replied. Jamie shook his head.

“I just went to stop Pix from killing Dad for letting out her secret,” he said, a dazed look coming over his face. “And then to find out about Mum…”

“How did Remus and Alan take it?” Lila asked.

“Better than we did. Though we all lost it when we found out it was twins,” he said with a sigh.

“You seem to have adjusted well… considering how you took the news,” she said, smiling at him. Jamie sighed and shrugged.

“Not much I could do about it…” he said. Lila stopped him as he pulled the door open, gazing up at him with a small smile.

“And you? How do you feel now?” she asked. He grinned as he bent over and kissed her softly.

“Completely happy… sleepless nights and all,” he replied. Lila chuckled and pointed out the door.

“The bottle.”

~~~

_Oliver Wood_  
_May 29, 2029  
_ _Iris - 10 weeks_

“You really didn’t need to come with me,” Iris said, looking over at me as we sat in the empty waiting room. 

“I come to every appointment,” I replied, my brow furrowed. It was true. This was a high-risk pregnancy, after all. I had to be there every step of the way to make sure the latest Wood arrived without trouble.

“I know…” she muttered, shooting me a look before returning her attention to her magazine. 

“I haven’t been that bad,” I scoffed. Iris sighed and put her magazine down, now scowling at me.

“You’ve barely left me alone since we found out,” she hissed. “And yesterday you forced me out of my workshop.”

“It could have been dangerous!” I nearly shouted. Red smacked me with her magazine. “We need to think about the baby,” I said, lowering my voice. Iris just shook her head and opened up her magazine again. 

“I continued working before,” she said. “Even with the triplets.”

“But this is different,” I replied, just causing her to shake her head again. 

I shifted in my chair, staring down at the magazine in my own hands. The room was empty - thank Merlin. We were usually the first people in, wanting to try and avoid getting stares or recognized. And usually Smithers saw us right away, though for some reason was running late today. I couldn’t help but glance towards the door, worrying that more patients would come in any second. While Jamie and Pix’s secret was out - Witch Weekly had already done several write-ups and started a Wood/Wills baby bump watch, noting that Pix was showing a lot more than Lila - Iris and I were still firmly in the “not going to tell yet” category. I already had our press agent working on a scheme for when we did finally decide to go public. 

Iris moved around in her chair, glancing up at the clock as she repositioned herself. For days, I had heard the grunts of disapproval emanating from the closet every morning as she got ready. And had noticed a slight bump had appeared. The last time Red started showing this early, we had ended up with identical triplets. You couldn’t even tell she was pregnant until about the fifth month with Pix. This worried me. While I was now settled into the idea that we were having a baby, I wasn’t sure if I could handle more than one at my age.

“Mr. and Mrs. Wood?” a nurse said. We both looked over and immediately jumped to our feet, making our way to the door leading to the exam rooms. “So sorry, Healer Smithers nearly forgot about the appointment and was running late.” I glanced over at Iris.

“He is getting on a bit in age,” I muttered. 

“He’s perfectly fine to deliver our baby. He’s delivered all the others,” Iris quickly replied. The nurse offered us an apologetic smile as she led us into an exam room. 

“We’ll just do the scan and then Healer Smithers will be in to see you,” she said, motioning for Iris to sit on the exam table. Red got situated on the exam table as the nurse lifted her shirt up and undid the button on her pants, fully exposing her belly. I couldn’t help as my eyes widened slightly. It had gotten bigger.

How did it get bigger this quickly? Merlin, we were having triplets again.

“Seems someone is showing a bit early,” the nurse said as she turned towards the screen to get it set up.

“I know,” Iris and I said at the same time. We glanced at each other as the nurse offered a nervous smile.

“Well, let’s just check on baby. Perhaps it’s just a bit on the bigger side,” she said, holding her wand out over Iris’ belly. “I wouldn’t be surprised, seeing how large the boys are.”

“As long as it’s not triplets again,” I said with a sigh, turning to focus on the screen. Third time around and I still couldn’t make heads or tails of the thing. Not until they were bigger. Iris shot me a look as the nurse chuckled, though I could read my wife’s eyes clearly. She wasn’t hoping to have another set of multiples as well.

“Well, good news - it’s not triplets,” the nurse said brightly. Though it was too bright. Both of us zeroed in on the screen, eyes wide. Something was up.

“If it’s four I might faint,” Iris said. 

“Definitely not quads, though I can check to be sure,” the nurse replied. “Nope… just good, ol’ fashioned twins.”

“Twins?” Iris asked, her eyes going even wider as her face paled slightly. I looked over at the screen, seeing the two very clear blobs moving around. Two? There were two in there? Merlin...

“You’ve already had triplets, so this should be a breeze,” the nurse said reassuringly. It didn’t make me feel all that reassured. 

Red and the nurse continued on talking, though nothing being said seemed to register as I continued staring at the screen. The voices faded into the background. Twins? Two? We were having twins? In our 50s. Twins. Christ…

“OLIVER!”

~~~

“WAKE UP!” 

I jerked awake and looked around, seeing a worried Red on one side of me and an amused Smithers on the other. 

“What happened?” I asked, trying to sit up. Iris pushed me back down. I was on the exam table while she had managed to change into a hospital gown. How long had I been out?

“You fainted,” Red replied, seeming to calm down slightly. I reached up to my head and winced as pain emanating from a bump at the back as soon as my fingers touched it. “You were out a few minutes. Took Smithers and three nurses to get you on the table.”

“Not the first time that’s happened in here,” Smithers said chuckling as he stepped away and picked up an ice pack, then walked back, holding it out to me. I took and placed it against the back of my head, wincing again.

“First time it’s happened to us,” Iris said, crossing her arms in front of her as she continued to study me. “Even when we found out about the triplets.”

“Suspect it’s a bit of a shock. First finding out you’re expecting again. Then finding out that it’s twins,” Smithers said with another chuckle. “How you feelin’, Oliver?”

“I’ll be fine,” I replied sitting up and hopping off the table. Iris just gave me another look as she moved to sit down. 

“No doubt. Sure you’ve taken harder hits on the pitch,” Smithers said. He walked over and waved his wand on the screen, which came alive, once again displaying the two tiny babies. He leaned towards it, inspecting it. “Everything on the scan looks good. And as far as I can tell, it’s just the two.” He looked back over at us with a grin. I managed to sit back down on a stool next to Iris as he moved about, continuing on with the examination. 

I managed to pay closer attention this time, focusing on everything Smithers was saying. Merlin, this pregnancy just got a lot scarier. It was scary enough just with Iris being pregnant again. Now to find out there were two more Woods coming.

Once it was over and Iris had changed back, we left with another load of pamphlets and such, though Smithers had jokingly said having multiples would be a walk in the park for us. Neither of us said a word as we made our way to the floos. Luckily, there wasn’t a long line and before long, we were stepping out into our living room. While I was aching for a drink, I knew that it was only about 9 am and Iris would have my head. Not to mention, I still needed to get out to the stadium that afternoon for practice. I had left them in the hands of my assistant coach and Wills for conditioning that morning. 

While I was hesitant to admit it, Wills was doing well whenever I left him in charge. He was going to be a natural coach when the day came. Though he swore up and down that he was good to play for another 10 years. I almost believed it, too. Even at 39, he was still as fast as he had been in his 20s. And his reflexes were still good. Word was that he’d likely end up breaking the record for the oldest player in the league.

We both walked straight towards the sofa and sat down, staring at the fireplace.

“Twins,” Iris finally said. I sighed and nodded my head, looking over at her.

“Of course, it couldn’t be just one,” I said. A bark of laughter escaped her lips, though it didn’t hide the worry on her face. 

“What are we going to do with twins?” she asked, still staring at the fireplace. 

“Same thing we did for the others,” I replied. Iris looked over at me.

“How is that you’re the one who passes out at the first mention of them yet you’re sitting here so calmly?” she asked, her voice going up a few pitches.

“How come you’re the one going mad?” I replied, surprised. Iris shook her head and laid it back on the sofa.

“Twins…” she murmured. “I’m going to get fat again.”

“It’s not fat,” I replied immediately. “It’s babies.”

“I’m 56, Oliver! And I’m about to have twins!” she shouted. “I don’t know if I can do this… when it was just one, sure… thought maybe it would be doable. But twins?” I sat up and leaned over towards her.

“You’re not thinking-”

“Of course not, but… I can’t help but worry. I mean… we’re in our 50s. We’re grandparents,” she continued. “And we’re about to be parents… again. To twins.” I pulled her over into my arms as she fell into silence. 

“It’s a shock. One that I’m still wrapping my head around, but… Merlin, surely, we can handle twins. We did raise the triplets, after all,” I replied. Iris chuckled which turned into a sniffle. I looked down at her, seeing tears already starting to fill her eyes. “Darling…”

“I know. It’s the hormones,” she said, wiping her cheeks.

“Reckon it’s more than that,” I said. “We’re having twins. Merlin, we’re about to have six children.”

“Too bad it wasn’t triplets. You’d finally have your quidditch team,” she replied. I chuckled as I shook my head. 

“I don’t think I want to relive that again,” I said, remembering how she nearly took my head off while in labor with the triplets. And how much she complained towards the end of her pregnancy.

“You weren’t the one carrying them,” she said, looking up at me. 

“I know. And I’ll wait on you hand and foot with these two just like I did with the others,” I said, looking down at her. Iris smiled up at me.

“Well… now we have to figure the next problem,” she said.

“What’s that?” I asked, frowning.

“How to tell the kids,” she replied. I gulped slightly.

“Right…”

~~~

_June 3, 2029_

I shifted in my chair as I looked around the table. Fortunately - or unfortunately, depending on how you looked at it - the following Sunday was family lunch. Iris felt it was time to break the news before one or both of us inadvertently gave the secret away. Again. 

Laura had just asked Pix and Lila how they were feeling before turning her attention towards Red.

“How you been feeling, Iris?” she asked. Iris looked over at me and smiled. I cleared my throat. Best to get it over with.

“So, your mother and I have something to say,” I said. Immediately, every eye was fixed on Iris.

“What is it?” Jamie asked, looking concerned. “Is something wrong with Mum or the baby?”

“Yea, she’s looked under the weather,” Remus added.

“You’re not sick, are you?” Alan added, looking over at Iris. She smiled and shook her head.

“I’m perfectly fine,” she said. 

“Are you sure? I heard that you got sick at the match last weekend,” Remus said, frowning. Iris chuckled.

“Just a bit of morning sickness. Nothing I haven’t handled before,” she said lightly.

“Are you sure it’s not bad? I mean, you are old,” Alan said, earning a smack from Bridget. He frowned at her as he rubbed the back of his head.

“We all know this is a high-risk pregnancy,” he retorted. He then looked over at Iris, suddenly really worried. “Really, though. What’s going on?”

“Are you sure you want Wills to know? He’ll tell the first chance he gets,” Remus said. Daisy glared at him. “Get off it. He couldn’t keep the twins a secret.”

“The what?” I asked, looking over at the couple. 

“Thought we told you,” Wills said. “Pix’s is having twins!” My mouth dropped open as I looked at my daughter, noticing that she had been showing more. 

“Why else do you think Nilsson benched me,” she said, glaring at Wills. “Could have kept playing a bit longer if it weren’t for this one’s big mouth.”

“You’re having twins?” I repeat, a smile appearing on my face. 

“I won money on that,” Alan said proudly. I looked over at Iris, now grinning. She was staring at Daisy.

“Well… guess that makes two of us,” she replied. Daisy dropped her fork as Wills spit out the tea he was drinking. Everyone’s head whipped around to the two of us.

“TWINS?!” she shouted at the same time the triplets shouted, “WHAT?!”

“Why didn’t you just get pregnant with triplets and complete the team roster?” Remus asked, though he didn’t appear too thrilled. 

“Well, as we said, this was all… unexpected,” Iris said.

“And you know that your mother is going to live a bit longer than the usual witch or wizard,” I said. “Apparently it’s not uncommon among the Prostatis on the island… loads of them have kids well into their 70s and 80s… She’s perfectly fine according to Nikos. Even if it is twins.”

“This is wonderful!” Lila exclaimed, her eyes already filling with tears. “First, we are all pregnant at the same time, and now twins?” She then looked at Laura and Bridget. 

“No, not yet,” Laura said with a snort. “I’m still learning to handle this one.” She reached over and wiped Gavin’s face with a napkin. 

“And I’m learning to handle this one,” Bridget said, motioning to Alan.

“I resent that,” Alan said as he frowned at her, temporarily distracted. 

“Would you shut it! Our mother is pregnant with twins!” Remus shouted. “Is this even safe?!”

“Smithers assures us that everything is progressing as it should,” Iris said calmly. I was rather surprised considering how she reacted when we found out about the pregnancy and then the twins. “I am perfectly fine despite having a geriatric pregnancy.” She grimaced slightly at the term. “Though I’d rather not call it that.”

“Who else knows?” Jamie asked. I glanced at Iris.

“No one else knows that it’s twins,” I said. “But as you all know, most of the family has known for a bit that we’re expecting.”

“Right. The day you spilled about me and Lila,” Pix said. I nodded. “That was also the night Wills spilled about the twins to half the bloody league at the after party.”

“Bit of a funny story how they all found out, actually,” I said. Daisy frowned. “Guess it’s still too soon for that… by the way, just how have you kept the twins out of the press if Wills let it spill at the party? And just how did you keep it from us? Why?”

“Paid off Witch Weekly and The Prophet,” Remus said. Pix scowled at him.

“Worth it to keep the secret a bit longer,” Wills said. “Though we couldn’t convince Nilsson to let her keep playing.” 

“Honestly, I’m not sure I’d of made it that much longer,” Pix admitted, looking down at her belly. “These little ones certainly are making their presence known now…”

“And we can’t wait to meet Pix 1 and 2,” Wills said, reaching over to lovingly rub her bump. 

“Well, now the world will know why Pix is bigger than Lila,” Remus said with a smile. “Best to get it out there now that Mum and Dad know.”

“Yes, but what are they going to say about Mum and Dad,” Daisy said, looking back at us, her eyes narrowed. 

“Not sure,” I replied. “But… whatever it is, we can handle it.” I reached over and took Iris’ hand, leading it up to my lips as I kissed it. There was a round of groans from the other end of the table.

“Well, now we know how we ended up with two more siblings,” Alan said, rolling his eyes.

“Merlin… we’re going to have two more siblings,” Jamie said, his eyes widening.

“You just now realized that?” Remus asked, staring at him.

“I mean… this is something,” Jamie said, motioning towards us. “I… well… Merlin…”

“Have you thought of names?” Lila asked, looking at us. 

“Honestly, we’re still reeling from the fact it’s twins,” Iris answered. “Haven’t discussed it yet.”

“And you’re okay with this?” Daisy asked, looking at me.

“I have to be. In several months or so, we’re going to have two babies in the house,” I replied, reaching for my ice tea. 

“How can you be so calm?” Jamie nearly shouted. 

“Oh, trust me, there were tears,” I replied. 

“Your father fainted when Smithers told us it was twins,” Iris added. I scowled at her.

“Well let me be the first to congratulate you!” Wills said loudly, seemingly rather giddy about the news. Though Alan and Remus seemed to be coming around. I smiled as I looked over at Red.

_“They seem to be handling it well,”_ I thought. She rolled her eyes slightly.

_“Not all of them,”_ she replied. 

_“I told you… this is all going to be okay…”_


	8. Everyone's Got Advice

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Obviously, I don't own anything created by J.K. Rowling, but I do own the Wood kids and other OCs. Ah, and the story.
> 
> Setting: Next Generation (Post-Hogwarts - Mostly Original Characters)  
> Genre: Humor  
> Rating: M (Language)

_Daisy Wills  
_ _June 4, 2029  
_ _16 weeks_

I slammed my locker shut a bit too loudly, causing Cunningham to jump slightly from next to me.

“Would that be the hormones?” Blanks asked. I glared at him, knowing my eyes were flashing red. He backed up slightly. “Easy there, Pix.”

“You still sore that Coach benched you?” Wright asked. “You know that it’s best you go on maternity leave. Merlin, you’re having twins!” 

I looked down at my belly that was now hanging out from underneath my tank top, despite the fact that I had finally gotten some bigger workout clothes. At this rate, I was going to need to go shopping again soon. Dominique and Lucy had gifted me with some of their maternity, but it was obvious that by the end of this pregnancy, I was going to be well larger than either of them had gotten. Why did I have to be the one to have bloody twins?

“Not like that’s stopping her,” Bray said with a smile. “She’d probably be on a broom if Coach would let her.”

I wasn’t practicing with the team or allowed anywhere near a broom - as Bray was well aware of - but it was true that I wasn’t going to let the pregnancy stop me from hitting the gym every day. I was determined to keep in form as best I could besides the fact I was carrying twins. Nilsson had finally given in and even had our trainer come up with a special program for me. I had taken to coming in every morning to do conditioning with the team for a couple hours. Plus, I had to work with the reserves seeker.

“Is it because someone leaked about the twins?” Cunningham asked, referring to the article that had come out in today’s Prophet in the gossip section. That I wasn’t upset about, considering I was 16 weeks pregnant and looked like I was much farther along - there was only so much explaining away I could do. It was a miracle that the secret had been kept this long, to be honest. No, the reason for my mood was the fact that I had found out yesterday that my mother was also pregnant with twins. I had come to terms with the pregnancy - was even happy for my parents. But this… I wasn’t even sure how I felt about it. I had kept Wills up way entirely too late last night discussing it with him.

Wills was of the mind that this was good news. And I suppose it was, but I still couldn’t wrap my hand around it.

I was about two have two more siblings. At 26.

“What is it, Pix?” Wright asked, becoming concerned as he walked towards me. I realized that I had been standing there staring at the floor for the last couple of minutes. I looked around the room, seeing the same concern etched in everyone’s faces. Merlin, I loved these blokes. 

“Do you need something? A snack? Sometimes that helped with Dom,” Cunningham said, stepping up to my side. I could feel the tears welling up and I couldn’t control them. Damn hormones.

“It’s none of that… just…” I started. I couldn’t finish as big tears poured out of my eyes and I sat down on the bench and began wailing. The team just stood there staring at me, unsure of what to do.

“What is it?! Is it the babies?!” Nilsson shouted as he ran into the locker room, John on his heels. Both of them seemed frantic.

“No! I mean - yes! Not mine, though!” I rambled as I continued blubbering. More looks of confusion passed around the room. I took a deep, shuddery breath, trying to get myself under control. “Mum’s pregnant… with twins…” I started wailing again as I dropped my face into my hands. 

“What?” Cunningham asked, sitting next to me. 

“But isn’t she like 60?” Blanks asked. I heard a thwack and presumed Kelly had smacked him.

“56,” Kelly replied. “But her kind live really long. Prostatis, remember?”

“Right, forgot about that,” Blanks replied.

“I’m sorry, but did you just say that your mother is pregnant with twins?” Nilsson asked. I looked up at him, noting the utter look of confusion on his face. I nodded. 

“So… you, Lila, and your mother are pregnant at the same time?” John asked. I nodded again. 

“They told us yesterday. Well, about the twins. We knew about the pregnancy for about a month,” I replied, wiping my cheeks. 

“Ehm… congratulations,” Wright said, though it sounded more like a question.

“This isn’t good! The press is going to be horrendous!” I shouted. I knew how much my mother detested it. It had been difficult for her a few years ago when we had gone public about our gifts. Now it was going to start up again. “And, and… what if something bad happens?!” I started wailing again.

“I’m sure she’s going to be fine,” Cunningham said soothingly as he patted my back.

“But we don’t know that!” I shouted, looking at him, sure my face was wild. 

“Pix… calm down. This can’t be good for the baby,” Kelly said. I whipped my head over to look at him. 

“How would you know?!” I retorted, even though I knew well enough that he would. He did have two kids as it was. And Lucy was far worse that I had been so far when she was pregnant. John chuckled. “Shut it. You’re next,” I spat, turning to look at him. He immediately shut up. Nilsson sighed and ran his fingers through his hair. 

“Perhaps you should take the day off,” he said.

“I’m fine,” I snapped. Nilsson’s eyes widened as he took a step back. I took a deep breath and tried to calm down. “I’m just… a bit overwhelmed.”

“I read about this,” Blanks whispered loudly.

“What the hell do you know about pregnancy?” Wright asked, frowning at him.

“I picked up some books,” Blanks said. “If the team’s having a baby, thought I should know about it.”

“The team already has babies,” Kelly said, seeming angry. Blanks rolled his eyes.

“Yea, but this is different,” he said, pointing at me. “It’s Pix!” He then looked at me. “You should lie down.”

“I’m fine,” I said.

“No, she needs food,” Kelly said.

“I think she needs something to drink,” Cunningham shot back. “Someone get her water or tea. Nothing with caffeine, though.”

“No, I’ve seen this. She needs food,” Wright said. “Right now. We need ice cream.” 

“Maybe you should lie down,” Campbell said. 

“Would everyone shut it!” I shouted, feeling overwhelmed by all the advice. “I’m fine! I just need to get to the gym!” I stood up, only to feel Cunningham push me back down on the bench. 

“Maybe you should go home,” Nilsson said, frowning. I took a deep breath and sent a glare around the room.

“Merlin, you lot are worse that Wills,” I replied. “I’m fine. I’m just… how would any of you react if you found out your mum was pregnant at the same time as you?!” There was silence. “See?”

“I’ll admit, it’s a bit of a surprise,” Nilsson said. 

“Twins?” John asked. I nodded. “Your dad really was serious about that whole quidditch team thing.”

“Go, Coach Wood,” Blanks added. I glared at him, causing him to shut his mouth and look at the ground. 

“It’s fine. It’s going to be fine,” I said, though it was mostly to reassure myself. Honestly, I was more worried than anything. Prostatis or not, my mother was still close to 60. And the older one got, the more serious it was when one got pregnant. I was worried for a number of different things, thanks to Wills and his rather thorough research into pregnancy. He had wanted to be prepared for me, but that was starting to backfire. I had spent a rather long time explaining to him that I would be fine, though now I was worried that the large number of things that could go wrong with me could go wrong with my mother. “Christ, my mother is pregnant with twins…”

I looked around the room, taking in the various expressions. Finally, I heard laughter, though it was from the last person I expected.

“I suppose I should send my congratulations,” Nilsson said, trying to get his laughter under control. The entire locker room stared at him in shock. “I mean… this isn’t funny…”

“But it kind of is,” John said, starting to smile. 

“Come on, lads. This is serious,” Kelly said, though he too was starting to smile. Campbell began chuckling.

“How did your dad take the news?” he asked.

“He fainted in the exam room,” I replied. I could tell the blokes were trying hard not to start laughing, but I couldn’t blame them as the corners of my mouth started turning up. It was rather comical. The idea of my rather large father being splayed out on the floor of the doctor’s office at the news he was having twins.

“How did you find out?” Cunningham asked.

“Wills and I ran into them at St. Mungo’s,” I said. “We were going in for our 10-week exam. It was the day we found out we were having twins, actually. They announced the twins at our family lunch yesterday.”

“Bet that was a nasty shock,” Kelly said. “How the blazes did you get Wills to keep the secret?”

“Easy. He’s still terrified of my father,” I said, feeling much calmer. Nilsson snorted, earning more than one shocked look.

“Sorry,” he said, quickly rearranging his face into one of neutrality. “So… how far along?”

“She’s about 11 weeks,” I said. I then sat up, my eyes widening as I quickly did the math in my head. “No, bloody way…”

“What?” Cunningham asked, confused.

“Those bloody idiots,” I muttered, narrowing my eyes. “The day we told them…” A collective blush went around the room as I continued to stew. Nilsson cleared his throat.

“I take it that you’re better,” he said. I nodded as I stood. 

“Assume the trainer’s ready for me,” I said, starting towards the door. Nilsson sighed.

“Yea, though promise me that you’ll take it easier today,” he said, glancing down at me. I nodded and continued walking. There wasn’t anything a good workout couldn’t fix.

~~~

_Jamie Wood  
_ _June 4, 2029_  
Lila Wood - 16 weeks

Sighing, I started pulling off my shirt as I changed into my practice kit with the rest of the team. Glancing over, I noticed Remus and Alan looked like they had gotten about as much sleep as I did after the surprise announcement yesterday.

It wasn’t as though I was upset or angry about it - it was more that I was flabbergasted by the whole situation. My mother was expecting twins. I had just come to terms with the fact that she was pregnant.

_“Twins? Seriously?”_ Remus thought, shaking his head. _“We’re 28, nearly 30!”_

_“It’s not like they planned it,”_ I thought with a sigh. _“Seemed just as surprised…”_

_“How is it even possible?”_ Alan thought. Both Remus and I sent him looks, causing him to shake his head and refocus on getting ready for practice. _“You know the press are going to go mad.”_

_“What else is new? They go mad about one us every other week, it seems,”_ I thought glumly. _“Usually Pix and Wills.”_

“What’s this? Why are you lot silent?” Vane asked, stopping as he was getting ready to look at us. Wills raised his eyebrows just behind him. I shook my head no rather quickly. Wills sighed and returned to getting ready.

“Nothing,” I replied, turning back to face my locker.

“No, something’s going on,” Jakes said, still staring at us. 

“Yea, you three are usually only this quiet when you’re up to something,” Ashley said, leaning against her locker.

“We are up to nothing,” Remus said. “Gavin had me up half the night, that’s my excuse.”

“See? It’s nothing,” Wills said.

“Liar. You know,” Ashley said, turning to look at the chaser. 

“I don’t know anything!” Wills exclaimed loudly, though it was obvious that he did. I rolled my eyes and continued getting ready. Blimey it was a miracle he had kept Mum and Dad’s secret as long as he had.

“It’s a family thing,” I said, hoping that would stop them. Course, I should have known it wouldn’t work.

“Let me guess, Lila’s having twins too,” Vane said.

“No, she’s only having one,” I said. 

“Laura and Bridget are pregnant as well,” Jakes added.

“No!” Remus and Alan shouted at the same time. 

“Alan and Bridget settle on a date then?” Ashely said.

“Not yet,” Alan said. “Trust me, we wouldn’t be keeping that a secret.”

“Then what is it?” Vane asked, starting to get a bit flustered. I glanced over at Alan and Remus. It was only a matter of time before they found out, but I don’t think any of us relished telling them before we had cleared it with dad.

“Everything is fine with the babies,” Wills said lightly. “It’s nothing to do with that - all five of them are perfectly healthy from what we know.” He then froze, realizing his mistake as Jakes, Vane, and Ashley whipped their heads around to look at him. Alan groaned as Remus dropped his head into his hand.

“Five?” Ashley asked, her eyes wide. “But… I thought it was just the twins and Jamie and Lila are having one…”

“If Bridget or Laura aren’t pregnant, then -” Vane stopped as he looked over at us again. “No way…”

“What’s going on? Why aren’t you lot already on the pitch?” Dad asked as he thundered into the locker room. There was silence as Jakes, Vane, and Ashley stared at him in shock.

“Coach?” Jakes asked softly.

“Twins?” Vane added. 

Dad’s face started going red as he looked over at Wills.

“What did you tell them?” he asked, his voice going dangerously soft.

“I didn’t… Not a word… well… I slipped about five babies…” he stuttered, starting to back away from him.

“Congratulations, Coach!” Vane said loudly as he walked over and slapped my father on the back. “Two more Woods on the way! Just one more and you’ll have your quidditch team!” Dad glared at Vane, who quickly backed away.

“Merlin’s beard, do any of you know the meaning of keeping a secret?” he shouted, turning his glare towards us.

“We didn’t say anything,” Remus and Alan said together. 

“But you look like you’re keeping something!” dad shouted back.

“Can you blame us? We’re still reeling from the fact that Mum can still have children,” Remus replied. Dad sighed, the fight seeming to leave him as he sat on a bench and ran his fingers through his hair. 

“You and me both,” he muttered.

“But… it’s good news, isn’t it?” Ashley ventured. “I mean, I know that Dane and I were thrilled… Surely you lot must be thrilled as well.” She sent a sharp look at myself, Alan and Remus. Instantly, I felt guilty for how I reacted yesterday. Mum had been glowing. And Dad did seem happy about it. Merlin, we were the worst sort of children, weren’t we?

“I was telling Pix last night that it’s great news,” Wills offered. 

“It is good news, just… Merlin, I thought the days of dirty nappies and sleepless nights were long behind me,” Dad admitted. “Save for when we babysat for you lot.” 

“I imagine Christmas just got a lot more interesting,” Vane said, earning a smack from Jakes. 

“You don’t have to worry about us keeping it out of the press, Coach. Until you’re ready to go public, that is,” she said.

“Not you lot I’m worried about,” Dad replied, sending a glare towards Wills. The chaser immediately put up his hands.

“Not a soul,” he swore. I rolled my eyes. We’d see how long that lasted.

“I’d recommend getting a press release ready,” Alan remarked with a chuckle.

“Already working on it,” Dad replied. He then sighed and stood, looking around the locker. “If you lot are done chatting like hens, we’ve got practice to start.” He then turned and walked out.

“So, you’re getting two new siblings this year,” Vane said with a smile.

“You think they’ll be identical like you lot?” Jakes asked. 

“I hope they are both little girls,” Ashley said. “Imagine Pixie times two.”

“Glad I’m out of the house, then,” Remus said.

“Do you think… will they get gifts too?” Jakes asked, causing us to stop in our tracks yet again. I hadn’t even started thinking about that. I cast a worried glance at Remus and Alan. Alan just shrugged.

“Dunno. Suppose there’s a chance,” he replied. 

“You and Remus don’t have anything,” Vane replied.

“And here we were just getting used to the idea of more Woods,” Remus said. 

“I bet 50 galleons they both play quidditch,” Wills declared. I just rolled my eyes and returned to getting ready. 

“Regardless, I’d hurry it up, if I were you. We all know that Dad doesn’t like to be kept waiting,” I said. 

“Er, right,” he said, turning back to his locker. Sighing again, I got to work.

_“You seriously think they could have some of Mum’s gifts?”_ Alan thought as he looked at me. I shrugged. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw a weird look pass over his face that he usually got when one of our dead relatives communicated with him. It had been happening for years, but it still bugged him when random voices popped up in his head. _“Uncle Fred is ecstatic.”_

_“Sure, he would have won some money,”_ Remus replied with a chuckle.

_“He would have,”_ Alan replied.

“You know it’s not fair to the rest of us when you do that,” Ashley said, catching on to the fact we were having a private conversation in front of them.

“Then it sucks to be you, I guess,” Alan said, his trademarked grin appearing as he shut his locker door. “I’ve got practice to get to.” He then walked out with Remus following him.

“How is everyone really taking it?” Ashley asked. 

“About as good as one can,” I said with a sigh. “It’s not that we’re angry or anything… just… shocked.”

“Who knew Coach Wood had it in him,” Vane said with a laugh. Jakes smacked him in the back of the head again. “Really?! Would you stop!?”

“No! You know Coach won’t hesitate to give you extra laps if he heard you,” she said before walking out as well. Ashely offered me an encouraging smile before dragging Vane out with her.

“Well… I think it’s lovely,” Wills said, throwing an arm around my shoulder. “The family is getting bigger.”

“That’s for sure…”


	9. The Return of Hans

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Obviously, I don't own anything created by J.K. Rowling, but I do own the Wood kids and other OCs. Ah, and the story.
> 
> Setting: Next Generation (Post-Hogwarts - Mostly Original Characters)  
> Genre: Humor  
> Rating: M (Language)

Daisy and Oliver looked over as Jamie shuffled into the kitchen, his hair going every which way and a bleary look on his face. He stopped for a moment and took in the sterilized bottles. 

“You’re a blessing, Pix,” he said as he walked over to grab one. “Think you could move in with us?”

“No,” Daisy said immediately. “But… at least we’re a bit more organized this time around.” She turned and started working on her own bottles. 

“Lila’s taking care of the baby. Take it that’s where Wills and Mum are as well?” he asked.

“We’ll all likely be needed shortly,” Oliver said with a sigh. “Much like with the shower…”

“You barely had to do anything for the shower,” Daisy snorted. Oliver glared at her. 

“It would have been better if we had just done it ourselves,” he growled. Jamie and Daisy couldn’t help but laugh at their father as he glowered. “I swore that I’d never have to see that man again.”

“I thought you buried the hatchet with Hans,” Daisy asked, an eyebrow raised.

“We did… suppose,” he replied half-heartedly. If Daisy didn’t know any better, she would have assumed that her father _enjoyed_ his interactions with the slight party planner. She couldn’t help but grin as she started to open her mouth.

“And he did an amazing job with the shower and the baby suite,” Jamie added, cutting her off. Immediately she frowned.

“Still don’t understand why I had to lose my room,” she grumbled. 

“You hardly used it,” Jamie shot back. “Been that way for years.”

“But… it was my room,” she whined. “They moved out all my things into the attic!”

“We gave you some of it… what was left anyway. And now the room belongs to your siblings,” Oliver said, starting to fix up the bottles. “It was the biggest room, though we’ll probably move them once they get older. They’ll want their own eventually.” Daisy shot Jamie a smug look as he frowned. 

“Remus and Alan barely use theirs,” he said. Oliver snorted.

“You all are married - well almost - and having your own children. None of you need them anymore,” he said. “It was probably about time we redecorated. Remus’ still has a bit of a smell to it…”

“I feel for Laura,” Daisy said.

“Supposedly he’s gotten better. Though their place always looks like a trainwreck thanks to Gavin,” Jamie said. “Toys and such everywhere…”

“Your place hasn’t looked much better since the baby came,” Daisy replied with a snort. “It’ll only get worse as they get older and you’ll have more.”

“Yours more so than mine,” Jamie shot back. “You have two. For now.”

“I’m just glad we have some time before they start crawling,” Daisy said. “What were we thinking by having twins?”

“Not like you had any control over it. I’m surprised we didn’t end up with twins or worse… triplets…,” Jamie said. 

“There’s always next time round,” Daisy said with a grin.

“Same goes for you,” Jamie said. 

“No. I’m not going to have another round of kids for a few years,” she said immediately. “In fact, this might be it for us. I’m not sure I want a houseful of kids just yet, despite whatever Wills may say.” It was Oliver’s turn to snort.

“We said we were going to wait as well,” he said. “And then we got triplets the first go-round. Then you. And now these little ones. Plan all you want, Pix. Babies are going to show up whenever they want to. And you’ve no control over that and how many at once.” He finished up with his bottles and started walking towards the stairs.

“Perhaps I’ll call up Hans for all of the baby showers,” Daisy replied. Oliver froze and slowly turned around, his eyes narrowed.

“You wouldn’t,” he muttered, causing Daisy and Jamie to chuckle.

“OLIVER WILLIAM WOOD!”

All three of them looked up towards the ceiling, still hearing cries coming down from the third floor.

“Best get up there…”

~~~

_Oliver Wood  
_ _June 13, 2029_

_Daisy & Lila - 17 Weeks  
_ _Iris - 12 Weeks_

Sighing, I struggled to keep up with the three women in front of me. Despite the fact that they were all pregnant, they were walking rather quickly. Granted I was bogged by about a million bags and parcels currently and there were still a few more shops they wanted to stop by and other parcels that were going to be sent by post. How I got wrangled into this shopping trip, I don’t know. Playoffs were about to wrap up with Arrows versus Puddlemere playing in the final round this weekend. And then there was the European Cup after that - both Puddlemere and the Arrows were in that. And I also had practice with the Scottish World Cup team. But Iris had said that they needed help and as I was the only significant other not playing quidditch this weekend, I was the one who had to come. She had rationalized it with some line about giving Wills more responsibility.

Why they couldn’t get Toby or someone else to do this? I sure Audrey could have spared him for the afternoon.

“Keep up, Oliver,” Iris said, turning slightly to look at me. I huffed and narrowed my eyes at her, though I couldn’t stay that way. She was positively glowing. She always did when she was pregnant. Even though she was only 12 weeks, she was already starting to show enough that we couldn’t keep the secret from the public any longer. Though it wasn’t without fanfare. The flurry of articles and interview requests had been maddening for a couple days. Not to mention the owls from George gloating over winning more money from Charlie. He had been positively giddy when we told him that it was twins. 

“I’m coming,” I said as we walked towards the next store. Iris had insisted on getting Daisy and Lila out for some shopping for the babies - some being the operative word. It was obvious that this was not _some_. Daisy was already in need of larger clothes and even though Iris was expecting herself, she was still excited to spoil her coming grandchildren rotten, as she had with Gavin. I swear, we bought out a few stores when we found out he was on the way. A fair amount of the bags and parcels I was currently carrying were full of toys. Though I couldn’t blame her - I had gotten into it a bit and ended up purchasing a round of Gryffindor onesies when the girls weren’t paying attention. Wills be damned, my grandchildren would be Gryffindors if I had any say in it.

“Oh! I’ve been meaning to stop in here,” Daisy said, as she came to a stop in front of a large furniture store, her eyes lighting up. “We still haven’t settled on the cribs yet.”

“Jamie and I were talking about coming here,” Lila said, looking at the store front. “But we have yet to settle on the decor for the nursery…”

“Still think it’s a boy?” Iris asked. Lila sighed as she looked down at her belly, seeming happy that she was now showing, though she was vastly smaller than Pix and almost the same size as Iris despite the fact she was a good few weeks ahead of her.

“He is still insisting that we name him Oliver Marcus or Marcus Oliver,” she said with a smile. “But I cannot help but think it is a girl.”

“What girl names are you thinking about?” Daisy asked.

“I would like to name her Marjorie… after my mother,” Lila said. “You?” Daisy sighed and looked down at her own belly.

“All of Wills’ suggestions are girl names. He wants to keep with the flower theme - though keeps suggesting Daisy the II and III,” she said. “Can’t seem to get him to take it seriously.”

“I think that _is_ Wills taking it seriously,” Iris said with a chuckle.

“What about you guys?” Daisy asked, looking from her mother to myself. “Thought about names?” My eyes widened slightly as I looked over at Red. I had thought of names. Tons of them. Along with all the other bits that I seemed to have forgotten about over the years. The nursery. Clothes. Diapers. Not to mention, Smithers had us coming in for check-ups every week to make sure Iris was doing well. I thought we should be coming in more, while Red felt like once a week was entirely too much. 

“Oh, we’ve been discussing quite a lot,” Iris said. “And going through the attic to see what we can still use. Thought we had more, but I suppose it’s gotten shifted around over the years as everyone else started having children. And we gave Laura and Remus a lot when Gavin came along.”

“So basically you need everything,” Daisy said, turning her attention back to the store. “Best get started.”

“Aren’t you sure we have enough for today,” I said, holding up my arms. “It’s not like they’re coming next week.”

“Not nearly,” Daisy said with a wink and a grin. Sighing, I shook my head and made to follow the women when the door burst open. We all stopped as Daisy and Iris started grinning. As soon as I saw who walked out in a cloud of pastel pink robes, I couldn’t help as my blood pressure increased. 

“Oh my Merlin! It is de Voods!” Hans declared loudly as he ran up to the women, his assistant George not far behind him with an arm load of packages. “You look AH-MAE-ZING!” He proceeded to kiss each woman on the cheek before gushing over each of their baby bumps. Great. This was going to take forever.

“Iris, you are glowing!” he said. “Pregnancy becomes you.” 

“Oh, well… not my first time round,” she said, blushing slightly as her hand came to rest on her stomach. He caught me standing behind them and his grin just widened.

“Oliver, you old dog, you!” he shouted. I shifted on my feet, glancing around at the looks we were starting to get from others around us. Great. There was no way this would stay out of the gossip columns.

“Good to see you,” I muttered as I nodded. Hans continued grinning as he looked around the three women.

“Ah! I am so giddy with happiness!” he said, clapping his hands. “Imagine… five new Voods all in vone go!”

“Er, well, three Woods and two Wood-Wills,” Daisy said. I perked up at that. She hadn’t mentioned anything about hyphenating. Perhaps I could talk Wills into making it Wills-Wood. Hell, he’d probably give them the name Wood just to make me happy. Daisy still hadn’t changed her name officially as it was - said it was because it was too much paperwork - just everyone seemed to call her Daisy Wills.

“Of course, of course,” he said, waving his hand. “So, tell me… vhen are you expecting to have the shower? Are you doing a big vone or are ve going separate vays? I MUST know da dates so I can be dere!”

“We haven’t really thought about it,” Iris admitted. “I’m only about 12 weeks along and these two are farther ahead - due in November.” Hans then gave a loud shout as his eyes went wide. Bugger. I knew what that look meant. No good would come from this.

“You must let me do da shower,” Hans declared. “A BIG vone for all of da babies!”

“No,” I said immediately, stepping towards them. But either no one heard or cared as Hans started shouting at George to get his schedule out. The man struggled with the parcels as he tried to reach into a bag and pull out a heavy book.

“Let’s see… so de younger vones are due in November und Iris is due in December… Perhaps ve should do it in September? At de country house?” Hans continued.

“I think that would work. The weather should behave, though we could always do it inside should it be nasty,” Iris said, tapping her finger on her lower lip. “And we should all know the genders by then…”

“I think that’s fantastic. You?” Daisy asked, looking over at Lila. The poor woman appeared a bit overwhelmed. _You and me both,_ I couldn’t help but think.

“I think that would work,” she said slowly. Though I could tell that she was starting to get caught up in the excitement as her smile grew bigger. “And it certainly would take a bit of the load off if we hired Hans…”

“Den it’s settled! I vill owl you some dates vhen ve get back to the shop. Und den next we can meet to discuss themes and details,” Hans said. “Of course, I vill need to come to da house and look over things…”

“Excuse me!” I said, trying to get their attention. “I don’t think we need-”

“Sounds perfect,” Daisy gushed. “I’m so looking forward to it! And Wills will be ecstatic.”

“Really-” 

“Until next time!” Hans said, waving as he and George fluttered off down the sidewalk.

“Well that’s lovely,” Iris said, looking at Daisy and Lila. “What luck that we should run into him.”

“I don’t think it is!” I shouted, finally getting their attention. “What are you thinking!?”

“I was thinking it would make things easier if we had someone else take care of the shower,” Iris said, crossing her arms in front of her. Never mind that the pregnant persons never took care of the shower, from what I could remember. My mother and Gran Weasley had taken care of ours. On that note, perhaps it was better to have someone else do it. Wait, no - I was not about to agree to paying Hans to do yet another event for our family.

“But… Hans? Again?” I asked. I know I was whining, but I seriously did not want to work with that man. “Does no one else remember the wedding?”

“You mean my magical, perfect wedding?” Daisy asked. 

“But… pixies!” I shouted.

“Oh, for goodness sakes’, Oliver. We’re not having pixies at the baby shower,” she scoffed. I glared at the three of them, though I knew I was outnumbered. It was three against one. And Wills loved Hans, so he would take their side. I could probably get Jamie on mine, but at the same time I knew that he would do anything for Lila. And she very clearly wanted to do this big shower thing.

“Come on, Oliver. We have more shopping to do,” Iris said, turning on her heels. Daisy shot me a smug smile as she followed, and Lila offered an apologetic one. Sighing, I followed the women in. 

There was no winning this argument.

~~~

Later that night, I sat in the living room, whisky in hand, as I flipped through the channels on the TV. I was still fuming about the events of earlier today. No matter how much I tried to talk them out of hiring Hans for the shower, I was continually overruled.

“Is it really so bad, Oliver?” Iris asked as she walked into the room with a mug of tea.

“I don’t see how any of you could want to work with Hans again,” I grumbled. “It was a mess last time around…”

“It was not,” Iris said.

“The pixies, Red! The damn pixies!” I shouted. “It would have been a disaster if I hadn’t stepped in!”

“And as I said, there are not going to be any pixies at the baby shower!” she shouted, though she was laughing slightly. “Really, he did an amazing job and you know it!”

I sat there silently fuming as I took another drink from my glass. I wasn’t ready to work with that infuriating man again. And now he was going to be taking over my house. Again. It took forever to get the pitch set to rights again after the wedding.

“Why can’t we host it at Pix and Wills? They have the space,” I said. “Wouldn’t it be better to have it indoors, anyway? You know how finicky the weather is in September.”

“Because everyone wants to have it here,” Iris replied. I looked over at her, catching her as she gazed lovingly down at her belly. “Besides, I want it here.” She looked over at me, smiling. “And don’t you want me to be happy?”

Sighing, I stood up and walked over, placing my glass on the table as I sat next to her, gently placing my hand on her belly. I swore I felt something flutter in there, though Iris had told me it was too soon to feel them. I couldn’t help the rush of affection that flowed through me for the little tykes. And for the woman carrying them.

“You think they’ll be anything like the triplets or Pix?” I asked, glancing up at her. Iris chuckled.

“I think they just might,” she said with a sigh. “They all ended up being a bit troublesome.”

“We’re too old for this,” I replied. “Two more troublesome Woods.”

“I think we can handle it,” Iris said. “We’re not that old. And you were fairly fantastic the first two times around. I’m sure it’ll all come back easily enough.”

“Maybe…” I replied. “Hopefully, they’ll play quidditch.” Iris chuckled again.

“Of course, you would think that,” she said, rubbing her belly. “So… boys or girls?”

“Wouldn’t mind one of each,” I said. I stopped for a moment as I looked down at her belly again. It was like it was suddenly hitting me. I mean, I knew Iris was pregnant. Had accepted it. But in this moment, I realized that in a few months, we would be holding these little ones in our arms. 

Merlin, I was about to be a father again. Two more little ones. 

“We should… if we have a boy, we should name him after your dad,” I said. “We’ve already named Alan after mine.” 

“And if we have a girl?” Iris asked softly.

“Rose,” I said immediately. Iris chuckled.

“Another flower name?” she asked, an eyebrow raised.

“It fits - We have an Iris and a Daisy. We need a Rose - a whole garden. If it’s two girls, we can call them Rose and… Briony. Or Heather,” I replied, meeting her eyes. I could see her eyes filling up with tears. “Though, if it’s two boys… David and… ” 

Iris sat up and kissed me gently on the lips. 

“We have time to decide,” she said. “I’m just happy to see that you’re getting on board with this.” I snorted slightly.

“Red, I’ve always been on board with this,” I said. And it was true. While it was just now hitting me that this was really happening, I had always been with Iris on this. 

“And that includes letting Hans plan the baby shower?” she asked, an eyebrow raised. I sighed heavily.

“Yes, including Hans,” I said. Iris grinned brightly. 

“I love you, Oliver Wood,” she said.

“I love you too, Red. Always will.”


	10. The Finals

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Obviously, I don't own anything created by J.K. Rowling, but I do own the Wood kids and other OCs. Ah, and the story.
> 
> Setting: Next Generation (Post-Hogwarts - Mostly Original Characters)  
> Genre: Humor  
> Rating: M (Language)

_Daisy Wills  
_ _June 15, 2029  
_ _18 weeks_

I shifted in the chair slightly, trying to get comfortable before the match started. Forget the heat and my ever-growing tummy and how uncomfortable I nearly always felt nowadays, I wasn’t happy to be watching the final from the players’ box. Nor would I enjoy watching the European Cup games - games that I helped my team get to, mind you. However, even I had to admit that there was no way I’d have been able to stay up on a broom in my condition - maybe if it had been one, but with two, not a chance in hell. At 18 weeks, I constantly felt a bit topsy-turvy, adjusting to the added weight I was carrying on my front. And it was only going to get worse. I had spent a large amount of time talking to Mum and I was getting worried that I’d even be able to walk by the end.

At least the morning sickness had gotten better. 

“Has it started?” Lucy asked as she rushed in and sat next to me, pulling her purse off. “Nearly couldn’t get Ailis to let go of my leg.”

“Why didn’t you just bring her?” I asked, glancing over at her. Lucy snorted as she looked around and then grabbed a beer from James, causing him to scowl at her before getting up to buy another.

“You honestly think I’d want to deal with two toddlers today? Heavens, no. They’re with Mum and Dad for the night. The after party still at Alan’s?” she asked, taking a large drink. 

“Of course. Where else would it be?” I asked, pulling my Arrow’s t-shirt down. It kept sliding up over my belly. I’d have to get another one. Again. Bugger.

“Wills still not keen on having parties at yours?” Lucy asked, grinning. I just shrugged. We had had a few over the years after the renovations, though with the babies on the way, neither of us were keen on that undertaking. Best left to Alan and Bridget who didn’t have kids to worry about. This way we could leave early and not have to worry about the clean-up. Granted, if Puddlemere won, it would be hard getting Wills away by a decent hour.

“Not really mad about the idea at the moment,” I replied. Lucy leaned over and placed a hand on my belly, feeling around.

“How are my favorite little cousins?” she cooed. I snorted slightly as I glanced over at Lila sitting a few seats down. “Oh hush. You know you’re my favorite cousin. We did make you and Wills godparents.”

“I know,” I said, smiling slightly as I looked down at my belly and started feeling around.

“Still not felt anything yet?” she asked, glancing up at me. I shook my head. Lila had already felt hers, but still nothing for me. I couldn’t help but frown at my stomach. “Relax, Daisy. It’s still early. Everyone feels them at a different time. I was nearly 20 weeks before I felt either Ailis or Brendan.” I couldn’t help but smile as I looked over at her. Lucy and Dominique had been godsends since finding out, both dropping by a lot and offering advice as well as clothes. Granted I wasn’t sure how long I’d be able to wear the things they dropped off.

“Ah good, I’m here on time,” Dominique said as she fell into the chair on the other side of me. “How’s it feel to be watching and not playing?” A grimace came across my face as I looked out to the pitch. Was everyone going to bloody bring that up?

“Not fun,” I replied immediately, causing them both to chuckle.

“Merlin, it’s just for this bit. You’ll survive,” Dominique said.

“And the first half of next season - if I’m lucky,” I said. “I am having twins. Could take ages to get back into shape.”

“Not to mention you’ll be exhausted from taking care of them,” Lucy added with a sigh. “No one in your house is going to get much sleep for at least the first year. Except the babies, of course.” I couldn’t help as my frown deepened. I knew that much but hadn’t allowed myself to think of it for too long. I was already struggling to get comfortable sleeping at night - even after Wills came home with a large body pillow. 

“At least tell me that Wills is taking time off,” Dominique said. “Paul took off a month.”

“That’s not much of a problem. He’d take off the entire season if I’d let him,” I replied. And it was true. He had said as much the last time we discussed it, though I told him there was no point in both of us putting our careers on hold, especially with him already nearing retirement as it was. Besides, as I was due in mid-November, he’d only have a few weeks left in the first half before the two-month break. Gran Weasley and Gran Wood had offered to split their time between me and Lila, not to mention we had Wills’ mum as well. Mum wanted to come stay as well, but we were all keen on giving her a break as she’d be in the last month of her own pregnancy. Surely among all of them, we’d have plenty of help the first few months.

“Seriously? It was like pulling teeth to get Ryan to agree,” Lucy scoffed. “I swear, Daisy. You’ve lucked out and gotten the best husband of us all.”

“Best not let Paul or Ryan hear that,” Dominique replied with a smirk. 

“It’ll be fine,” I said, shutting the both of them up. “I’ll be back on the pitch in time for the last qualifiers for the World Cup and you best believe I’m playing in those matches.” I pointedly ignored the look the two shared. I was determined that I would only take off as much time as necessary and was already planning to start looking into a full-time nanny to help. It would be necessary if I wanted to get back to playing. I’d need a good couple of months in the gym before Coach would let me on a broom.

“So… how’s the shower planning going?” Dominique asked, changing the subject.

“Well. We’ve settled on a date that works for all three of us. Hans is set to go out to the house to look it over,” I said, smiling slightly. Of course, Dad was still adamant on doing the damn thing ourselves, but his complaints were falling on deaf ears. I was looking forward to the walk-through, to be honest. Dad was downright hilarious whenever Hans was involved.

“He didn’t remember everything from the wedding?” Lucy asked. 

“It’s been almost two years. Sure he’s done enough events in the meantime that he needs a refresher,” I replied.

“And it has nothing to do with the fact that you enjoy torturing your father?” Dominique asked. I just shrugged, though couldn’t help but grin as I reached for my water bottle.

“May be a bit of that as well,” I said. I sat up in my chair, noticing the match was about to start. I couldn’t help the twinge of sadness at seeing my team being announced and take the pitch without me. The reserve seeker was doing okay, but there was no way for him to get down all my tricks and plays. To be honest, I was already preparing myself for a loss. Took a bit of the excitement out of the match and the ball coming up - even if I was a shoo-in for seeker of the year despite not playing since April.

“Oi, how’s it feel to be sitting this one out?” Lily shouted as she ran into the box and collapsed in the chair behind me. 

“Keep that up and we’re sending you to the family box,” Lucy said, turning in her chair slightly, completely ignoring the fact that she and Dom had already asked me the same thing. Lily just laughed.

“Shut it. It’s the only chance I’ve got to get my name out there,” she replied, seemingly happy in her Puddlemere t-shirt. 

“Let her talk all she wants, she’s still not getting seeker of the year,” I said, smirking at her slightly. “And don’t think just because I’m having children means you’ll have an easy time of it when I get back on the pitch.”

“Keep telling yourself that,” she said, causing me to laugh. I had to admit that I was slightly intimidated when she finally made first string on the Harpies. I had trained her, after all. Even more so after finding out I was pregnant and would be taking a large amount of time off from playing. But I would be damned if Lily was going to surpass me just yet. Nor would I let her know I was intimidated. 

“What the bloody hell is your seeker doing?” James asked, sitting up in his chair. I turned my attention back to the match, frowning slightly as I watched Martins.

“Doesn’t listen to a bloody word that I say,” I huffed. “No matter how long I’ve worked with him.”

“Some of us are not meant to be coaches, it would seem,” James replied with a sigh.

“I bloody coached your sister!” I shouted, turning to look at him.

“Daisy! Calm down!” Lucy urged. I huffed again and then turned back to the match. After some time, Martins seemed to get his act together. The rest of the team seemed to be trying to make up the difference without me there, which appeased me slightly. At least it wouldn’t be a total loss.

“Your dad’s looking a bit ragged,” Lucy said, glancing over at the screen that was showing a close up of his face. He did look a bit more tired than usual. Must be Mum keeping him up with worry.

“Oi! Pix! What’s this about you getting two new siblings!” someone shouted from behind me. I rolled my eyes and turned, seeing Fraser leaning over the seat in front of him, grinning.

“Mind your own bloody business,” I said before turning back around. 

“Come on, you have to admit, it’s a bit funny,” he continued. “Especially since you’re having twins as well…” I sighed and shook my head. It had been like this ever since the news broke. I couldn’t help but rub my temples, incredibly tired of answering the same questions over and over.

“She’s pregnant. It’s twins. Not sure what you want me to say,” I replied. “We’re all happy for them.” Lila looked over at me, offering me a warm smile. I had to admit that I felt for her. In the excitement of my twins and then Mum’s twins, half the time people forgot she and Jamie were also expecting. 

“How you been feeling lately, Lila?” I asked, making it clear that was all I was going to say on the subject.

“Better,” she said. “We’ve been planning out the nursery.”

“Jamie still convinced it’s a boy?” Lucy asked. Lila chuckled and nodded.

“Finally got him to concede on a more neutral color. Though we find out what it is this week, so I’m sure if it ends up being a boy, he’ll double down on his efforts for blue,” she replied.

“Wills was trying to convince me of hot pink the other day,” I said. “Merlin, even it is girls, I’m not giving them a hot pink room. It’s like the man doesn’t even know me…” Lucy, Dominique and Lila all began laughing. 

“Would definitely clash with the hair. And we all know that your children are likely to come out ginger,” Lucy said. “Does run in the family.”

“Just me and Mum,” I said. Though I wouldn’t mind it if they had my hair. Or Wills’. Honestly, as long as they were healthy, I didn’t much mind how they looked. 

Suddenly, all talk about babies and nurseries died down as the action on the pitch grabbed our attention. Wills was bearing down on Bray before doing a lightning fast pass to Vane. Bray just nearly missed knocking the quaffle off course, but still managed, causing most of us to jump up and cheer. 

Of course, at that moment, I would feel something. I bent over slightly, my hand flying to my stomach. It was a small flutter - but something I had never felt before. So I knew that it wasn’t indigestion or anything else. My eyes widened as immediately Lucy and Dominique were leaning towards me.

“What is it?” Lucy asked.

“Something wrong?” Dominique asked. Instantly, the rest of the box was paying avid attention to me. My eyes widened as I felt it again, looking down at my stomach.

“No… it’s just…” I sat down, still looking at my stomach. I then looked up at Lucy and Dominique, my eyes filling with tears. Bugger. I was going to cry again. “I think I just felt them.” My cousins looked at each other a moment before falling back into their chairs, both moving their hands around my stomach.

“This is brilliant!” Dominique said, her own eyes filling with tears as Lucy just laughed.

“Oh, Wills is going to be so pissed he missed this…”

~~~

_Jamie Wood_  
_June 15, 2029  
_ _Lila - 18 weeks_

I smiled and nodded as yet another person congratulated me at the after party. We had just beat the Arrows in the final, winning the Cup. Granted, it didn’t really seem fair, considering the reserves seeker wasn’t nearly as good at Pix. If she had been playing, it definitely would have been much harder to pull of the win. Honestly, the last few years, it had been a back and forth between our two teams. 

I looked over, seeing Wills standing with Pix, staring down at her with wide eyes. I wasn’t sure what she was saying to him, but I was surprised to see the wide grin on her face. Truth be told, I was sure that she’d be sulking the whole time, if she even came at all.

“Good match, Jamie,” Chris said, smiling broadly as he and Tori walked up to me. “Where’s Lila?”

“Home. She was here for a bit but got tired. Match took a bit much out of her. It was four hours,” I replied, shaking his hand. “Though still doesn’t feel like a real win… not without Pix playing.”

“Wasn’t as exciting as the last time you guys were in the finals together,” Tori commented. “And how’s she doing? Lila, I mean.”

“Good. We find out this week if it’s a boy or a girl,” I said, grinning. I was incredibly excited, to say the least. While I felt strongly that it was going to be a boy, truth be told, I honestly didn’t care. I’d love the little bugger all the same. And despite Remus’ warnings of sleepless night ahead, I couldn’t wait until he or she got here. This is what Lila and I had been wanting ever since we got married, after all.

“Still can’t believe you’re finally having a baby. Thought you’d be the first of the lot,” Chris said. “Definitely not Remus.” I couldn’t help but chuckle.

“Wasn’t for want of trying,” I commented, then immediately blushed. Blimey, Wills must have made my drink strong. Unless Pix slid the confidence serum to me again. I quickly looked over, seeing Wills bent down with his ear to her belly. Maybe it was the drink.

“Either way, I bet it was a shock. Finding out that Lila and Daisy were pregnant at the same time. And then your mother,” Tori replied. I looked back over at her and shrugged.

“It was, but… suppose we’ve all come around to it,” I said before taking a cautious sip of my drink. “Sure, it won’t be long for you two.” Tori and Chris just laughed.

“Just because you lot decide to all have children at the same time doesn’t mean we have to,” Chris said. 

“Yea. We’re planning to wait a few years,” Tori added. “Christ, we haven’t even been married a year.”

“I FELT IT!” Wills exclaimed loudly, drawing attention from half the party, including myself, Tori and Chris. Pix just rolled her eyes and smacked his head.

“You didn’t feel a damn thing,” she scolded. “Because I didn’t feel it, so I know that you’re making it up.” Wills just stared down at her belly, frowning slightly. Chris and Tori laughed again.

“You lot just win the Cup and he’s more concerned about Pix and the babies. Why am I not surprised?” Chris said. I just shook my head as I chuckled. 

“Calls ‘em Pix 1 and 2,” I said. 

“Surely he’s not serious on calling them that for real,” Tori said.

“This is Wills, regardless of whether it’s boys, girls or one of each, he’s likely to call them Pix 1 and 2,” I replied. And it was true. In terms of husbands, Wills certainly was high in the rankings of most-devoted husband ever, though it was just who he was. He had doted on Pix ever since she was a kid. It just went up a notch after they got together nearly five years ago. But he had always worshiped the ground she walked on, even before he had ever developed any feelings for her. “Think they find out what they are this week too.” 

“Ooo, Witch Weekly’s been running this poll on what they are for a few weeks now,” Tori said. “I’m anxious to see if I guessed right.”

“Seriously? These are my best mates, Tor!” Chris said, looking down at her.

“Get over yourself, Chris. You’ve been guessing too. More so since we found out about Mr. and Mrs. Wood,” she scoffed. Chris looked over at me, a bit embarrassed. I could tell he was about to apologize.

“It’s fine, mate,” I said, before he could reply. “Merlin, as if we weren’t used to this sort of thing by now. Our whole bloody family has been placing wagers on everyone’s lives since we were born. Before that, actually.” 

“You think it’ll be another set of identicals?” Tori asked before taking a drink. 

“Not sure. Suppose,” I said with a shrug. “I mean, Remus, Alan and I are identical. Wouldn’t be all that surprising if Mum and Daisy were both having identical twins.” Tori smiled to herself as Chris rolled his eyes.

“You’ve joined a wager, haven’t you?” he asked. Tori just shrugged as she offered him a cheeky grin.

“Maybe I did. Maybe I didn’t,” she said as she walked off to get another drink. 

“I swear she lives to drive me mad,” Chris said after she walked off, though he was grinning like a mad man. 

“Let you in on a secret - pretty sure they all do,” I said, squeezing his shoulder. Chris snorted slightly.

“Not Lila,” he said. 

“She has her days,” I said, though I had to admit, she didn’t that often. Not even now with her odd requests popping up more often. Just the other day she threw a fit because I had brought home the wrong flavor of ice cream. (I checked her note - I had actually gotten the right one.) But rather than get into an argument, I just turned around and went back to the shops to get this new brand. She was currently carrying my child. The least I could do was get her whatever flavor of ice cream she was craving at that moment.

I had loved her practically since we started dating and we had been through a lot together at this point. Now with the baby on the way, I couldn’t help but think that everything was perfect. Even though it wasn’t.

“So, how are you really coping? If I know you, you’ve been keeping some sort of diary with a list about five meters long of things to remember,” Chris said. 

“Doing better,” I replied. And that was the truth. While I had spent the first few weeks going completely mental over the fact that I was about to be a father, I had settled down quite a lot. Of course, then we found out about Mum and I had lost it again. “I mean, I’m fairly sure Lila wanted to strangle me a few times there in the beginning, but we’ve settled down a bit. Still a rather large amount of things to do before the baby gets here. And then there’s the shower...”

“Thought that didn’t happen until right before the baby came,” Chris said. “Surely you’ve got some time before that.” 

“Normally, I think that’s how it goes. But apparently Hans is coordinating a large one for all three of them together and they all decided on September,” I said. 

“The bloke that did Daisy’s wedding?” he asked. “With the pixies?”

“That would be the one,” I said, unable to control my smile. I personally had no issue with the man, considering Lila was the one talking to him. I didn’t know the first thing about baby showers and was rather keen on letting him do all the work. But it was hilarious seeing Dad fume about it. 

“I thought your dad hated him,” Chris said.

“He does,” I replied. “Fairly sure that’s why Pix insisted on using him.” Chris chuckled as he looked over at the couple. I followed, seeing Wills now at her side, an arm around her as he gazed down at her lovingly. Daisy was busy talking to John and his wife, her hand on her stomach. It made me want to get home to Lila. I quickly downed my drink. 

“If you’ll excuse me,” I said, nodding to him. “Enjoy the party.” 

“But I just got here,” Chris whined. “And you bloody just won the Cup!”

“You’ll understand when Tori gets pregnant,” I said with a smile as I started towards the front door. Truth be told, I wanted to be celebrating my win with the woman I loved and our unborn child.


	11. Friends at Last... Maybe?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Obviously, I don't own anything created by J.K. Rowling, but I do own the Wood kids and other OCs. Ah, and the story.
> 
> Setting: Next Generation (Post-Hogwarts - Mostly Original Characters)  
> Genre: Humor  
> Rating: M (Language)

Oliver continued trudging up the stairs, falling behind Daisy and Jamie, who were much younger and faster. He was already feeling his knees creak a bit. He had always prided himself on keeping in shape, but it seemed the sleepless nights and constant running up and down stairs was finally catching up to him.

“Dad! I mean, Oliver,” Wills said, meeting him as he reached the second-floor landing. Oliver stopped and looked at him, not having the energy to scowl or make a comment on the fact that he had once again called him Dad. 

“Pix up there with the twins?” Oliver asked, pointing towards the third floor. Wills nodded and looked up. The babies were still crying. “Thought the bottles helped.”

“Just getting the spare pacifiers. The little bugs tossed theirs on the floor and Pix is convinced they’re covered in germs,” he said with a sigh. Oliver nodded dumbly, still insanely tired. He looked down at the two bottles in his own hands.

“I best get up there before Red skins me alive,” Oliver said. 

“I have to say, you’ve really transformed upstairs. It’s amazing,” Wills said. Oliver chuckled.

“Didn’t really have much to do with it. That was all Hans,” he admitted. 

“Yea, but you helped him out,” Wills said. “I remember. You spent a lot of time in there with him. Pix says you’ve become friends.” Oliver frowned.

“I will never be friends with that man,” he said sternly, causing Wills to chuckle again. 

“Keep tellin’ yourself that,” he replied, starting towards the room he was staying in with Daisy. “I know the truth. You’ve finally come around.”

“I have not. That man is infuriating,” Oliver nearly shouted. Wills only laughed in response, shaking his head. “I mean it!”

~~~

_Oliver Wood  
_ _July 4, 2029_

_Daisy & Lila - 20 weeks  
_ _Iris - 15 weeks_

I couldn’t help as I looked over at the liquor cabinet longingly, earning myself a quick smack on the leg from Iris. Glancing over at her, I sighed and took a sip of my tea, turning my attention back to the conversation currently playing out in our living room.

It was the fifth or sixth time we had gathered with Hans and George. He was currently standing in front of a large parchment suspended in the air, going over the table arrangement for the backyard as Iris, Daisy, Wills, Jamie and Lila were all listening to him avidly. I could care less, to be honest. And his incessant talking and flouncing around was starting to give me a headache. I glanced down at my watch, wondering just how much longer this was going to go on.

“How many are you planning to attend?” Hans asked, taking a break from his wild gesturing to look at us.

“Probably around 100,” Daisy said, scrunching her face up as she thought.

“That’s way entirely too many,” I replied immediately.

“There are three of us and we have a large family,” Iris said, frowning at me.

“Plus the teams and Lila’s friends and co-workers,” Daisy added.

“I do not need nearly that many invitations,” Lila said, her eyes wide. I knew I liked her for a reason. She was clearly the most sensible of the group.

“Nonsense. You should invite whoever you want,” Daisy quickly said, smiling at her. 

“I thought only women went to these sorts of things,” I interjected.

“What?” Wills said, a look of disappointment already on his face. 

“Anyone can come,” Red said, glaring at me.

“Very good! Okay, so ve vill plan for around 100,” Hans said, turning back to the parchment and waving his wand, quickly rearranging the layout and adding more tables. “Und da color scheme?”

“Don’t we need to settle on a theme first?” Iris asked.

“Yes, ve must,” Hans said, turning back around. “I trust you all looked over the packets I sent, no?” He had sent over a package a couple weeks ago outlining several theme ideas and I know that Iris had been owling back and forth with both Pix and Lila constantly about it. One thing they had decided on was that they wanted something that was gender neutral since it was unlikely they would all be having the same thing. Not to mention, Daisy liked to remind me that it was the year 2029 - the days of set gender roles and colors were long gone.

“We’ve been over them, and I think we’re leaning towards animals or sailing,” Iris said. I couldn’t help but snort. When had anyone in our family been into animals or sailing? Iris shot me another glare. 

“Both are good…” Hans said, as he tapped his wand against his chin. 

“Why not make it quidditch?” I muttered under my breath, earning another smack from Red. I was seriously beginning to wonder just why I was here if she was going to assault or glare at me through the whole damn thing.

“We could…” Daisy said, her face lighting up slightly as did Wills.

“No!” Hans said. “No more quidditch!” Daisy shot him a look though noticed that neither Iris nor Lila seemed keen on the idea so backed off. 

“I did rather enjoy the Winnie the Pooh idea. I enjoyed the books as a child,” Lila offered. Hans face then lit up as he clapped loudly, causing me to jump.

“PERFECT!” he squealed. “Ve should do books! Fairy tales! Children tales. Ah! Dis is going to be AH-MAE-ZING!” He turned back to the parchment frantically waving his wand as the images changed and the backyard was magically transformed into a book wonderland.

“Brilliant!” Daisy said, now grinning.

“Very fitting,” Iris added. She frowned at me, so I cleared my throat. 

“Seems fine,” I said, glancing over to see Jamie too overwhelmed to speak. He hadn’t wanted to be here either. I had a feeling he and I would be sharing a large drink when this was all over. He had missed all of this with Pix’s wedding and was now getting a crash course in Hans.

Hans turned back to the group and flounced over to sit in a chair, a satisfied grin on his face. 

“So,” he said, looking at each woman as he crossed his legs and dropped his chin into his hand. “Do ve know vhat we are having?” Now that it seemed most of the work was over with for today, he would commence with another half-hour of “girl talk”. 

“Still too soon for us,” Red said, rubbing her stomach. I glanced from Jamie and Lila over to Wills and Daisy. I knew they were supposed to find out a couple weeks ago, but neither couple had made any announcements or told us. I was getting rather eager to find out, truth be told. I was secretly hoping for a pair of granddaughters with Daisy’s curls. As for Jamie and Lila, I was thinking another granddaughter. Hopefully with curls as Jamie had got that from his mother.

“I suppose we could tell them,” Lila said, looking at Jamie with a soft smile. My son was practically bouncing in his seat as he turned to us.

“Still keeping it from the public, but… it’s a girl,” he said, beaming. 

“And we’ve decided to name her Marjorie Iris,” Lila added. I reached over and took Red’s hand, looking over to see her tearing up. 

“It’s a beautiful name,” she said, standing and then going over to hug both of them. “I’m honored.” I couldn’t help but grin. I was getting at least one granddaughter. 

“Our turn!” Wills then shouted. Pix smacked him on the arm. 

“Hush, Wills, let them have their moment,” she hissed.

“No! Please tell us!” Hans shouted, leaning towards her. Daisy sighed and shook her head then opened her mouth.

“IDENTICAL BOYS!” Wills burst out, grinning. Daisy scowled at him a moment, but it seemed Wills’ enthusiasm was contagious as she ended up smiling instead. Hans’ mouth dropped open as he stared at them and then looked around the room, his eyes tearing up. Everyone stood and started hugging each other, with Hans fluttering from Lila to Daisy to Iris and then back around again. Jamie slapped Wills on the back and George hovered in the background, wiping at his eyes with a handkerchief. 

And I just sat there, a stunned look on my face. I was going to have a new granddaughter and two new grandsons. Identical twins to boot. Combine that with our two little ones on the way and Gavin, I nearly had my quidditch team. Wills and Daisy’s would be good as chasers as they were identical and even though Wills was tall, between the two of them they would have the right build. Perhaps Gavin would make a good keeper. Obviously, Jamie and Lila’s would be seeker. That left ours to fill in beaters. Just needed Alan and Bridget to have one to fill the last chaser spot.

A sudden burst of laughter brought me out of my reverie. I looked over, seeing Pix, Red and Jamie watching me with amused looks. 

“What?” I asked.

“Yea, care to fill in the rest of us who can’t read minds?” Wills then asked.

“He’s already plotting out his quidditch team,” Daisy said with a smirk.

“So?” I asked, standing. “We’ll have enough - just need Alan and Bridget to have one…”

“Oliver! They aren’t even born yet! How are we to know if they’ll even want to play quidditch?” Iris asked, laughing.

“Easy. They’re all Woods,” I replied, frowning. Hans guffawed loudly as he made his way over to me, throwing an arm around my shoulder - or at least trying to. He was a good several inches shorter than me.

“Oh, Oliver. You just crack me up!” he exclaimed, slapping me on the chest. I frowned down at him, causing him to laugh nervously and step back. “Vell, den! Shall ve take a look at da backyard?”

We made our way outside and as the others hovered near Hans as he started over the party layout, I stood on the edge of the yard, looking towards the pitch. I could already see it in my mind. An entire team made up of Woods - and Wills. Or Wood-Wills. Or Wills-Woods.

“Dad?” Pix said, walking up to my side. I glanced down at her and then looked back at the pitch, sighing happily as I swung an arm around her shoulder. 

“We’re going to go down in history as the first quidditch dynasty,” I said. Pix chuckled and shook her head.

“Again. What if they don’t want to play quidditch?” she asked, glancing up at me.

“Suppose that’s their choice, but I’ve got a good feeling,” I said. And I did. We just needed one more to complete the team. Hell, at this rate, we could probably make two. I didn’t doubt for one second that Jamie and Lila would stop at one. Nor Alan and Bridget or Pix and Wills. And there was the whole multiples thing.

“You feel anymore ready for the next Woods?” Pix asked, looking up at me.

“Now that the shock has finally wore off. Still not sure what to do with the nursery,” I replied. “None of the boys’ rooms are big enough, so think we’ll need to convert your old room.” Daisy stepped back as she frowned up at me.

“My old room?” she asked. I chuckled.

“Pix, you don’t need it anymore,” I said rationally. “You’ve got your own home. It’s practically bigger than ours.”

“But it’s my room!” she said, stamping her foot. “Where will we stay for Christmas?” I snorted.

“Surely you weren’t planning on staying over Christmas Eve? Don’t you lot want to start your own thing now that you’re having children?” I asked, chuckling as I turned to face her.

“But it’s tradition! We all stay over! We always have!” she nearly shouted. I glanced over, noticing that Hans had gone quiet as the rest of the group took in our conversation. Iris just shook her head, walking over to us. We had discussed the nursery several times before, and she had mentioned Daisy likely wouldn’t take the news well. But I had insisted that she would. Red was clearly right on this one. Again.

“Daisy, darling, it just makes sense. There’s not enough room for two babies in any of the boys’ rooms,” she said soothingly. Daisy turned around, glaring at her. 

“But… my things!” she shouted.

“You’ve gotten most of it out by now. And you’re free to take the rest,” I said. Daisy glared at me again, then huffed and spun around, striding back towards the house.

“We’re leaving, Wills,” she said, grabbing him on the way. 

“But, Hans-”

“We’re. Leaving.”

We all stood there a bit awkwardly until they disappeared in the house. I then cleared my throat and stepped over to the others.

“Well… that could have gone better,” I admitted with a sheepish look.

“Didn’t matter how we were going to tell her, she wasn’t going to take it well,” Iris said rolling her eyes. 

“Perhaps you could show us da baby room, no?” Hans then suggested with a grin. Sighing, I started towards the house. 

“Follow me…”

~~~

I should have known. 

As soon as Hans cleared the landing on the third floor and took in the lounge area, his face lit up. He was silent as Iris and I then showed him to Daisy’s room. Lila and Jamie had stayed downstairs, opting to wait until we came back down to finish up discussing whatever there was to discuss. 

He stood in the middle of the room for a moment and then spun around to face us, his eyes bright.

“I can just see it now,” he said. “Dis is vhere da babies sleep und out there ve can do a very nice playroom. Who is doing da renovation?” Iris and I just looked blankly at each other.

“Honestly, we haven’t thought about it,” she confessed. “We do have a bit more time before they’re here.”

“Figured I’d do it myself. Maybe get some of the family in to help,” I said with a shrug.

“Oh, no, no, no. You MUST let me do,” Hans said, stepping towards us. 

“And how much’ll that cost me? I’m already paying out the nose for this shower,” I said. Iris elbowed me in the ribs.

“Let’s at least hear what he thinks,” she said, scowling at me. I sighed and motioned for him to continue. Hans then launched into a long explanation of his vision, moving around the room first, and then leading us out into the lounge. I had to admit, the more he spoke, the more I could see it clearly in my mind. Where we would put the changing tables and the cribs. The color of the walls. 

It was an amazing vision, but I, for one, was not about to say that out loud.

Once he finished, he stopped and waited, an expectant look on his face. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see Iris looking at me, a hopeful expression on hers.

“We’ll think about it,” I said finally. I could tell Red was a bit disappointed, but honestly, it was a lot to take in for one afternoon. Hans smiled and nodded, then flounced downstairs just in front of us. We spoke about the shower a bit more before Hans, George, Lila, and Jamie took their leave.

“Really, Oliver, I think he’s got really good ideas,” Iris said, rounding on me as soon as we were alone.

“They are rather good,” I admitted.

“And couldn’t you just see it? It would be a really enchanting place for the twins to grow up,” she continued.

“That it would,” I said. 

“It’s a rather large amount of work for us. Wouldn’t it be easier to just hire Hans to do it?”

“It would make sense.”

“I just don’t understand why you’re so against him. Really, Oliver! I think he could do so much more with that space than we could!”

“I think that he would,” I said. 

“Then why won’t you hire him?” Iris asked, planting her hands on her hips as she frowned at me.

“I never said I wouldn’t,” I replied, walking over to finally pour myself a whiskey. Iris was silent. I turned around and took a sip, nearly wanting to laugh. An utter look of shock had come over her face as she stood with her mouth gaping. 

“I… are you saying that you’ll hire him for the nursery?” she asked softly, her eyes filling with tears. I sighed.

“You tell anyone I said this and I’ll deny it, but… I want to. And I think we should,” I said. “He had brilliant ideas. Loads better than what we could come up. And, well… I want the best for all our children. Including these little ones. And Hans is the best.” 

Iris’ hands flew to her mouth as her eyes welled up with tears. She then walked across the room and wrapped her arms around me.

“You are absolutely wonderful, Oliver. Whatever did I do to deserve you?” she whispered. I chuckled as I looked down at her.

“Fairly sure I’m the one who should be saying that,” I replied. She looked up at me. 

“Does this mean that you’re finally coming around to Hans?” she asked, an eyebrow raised.

“I wouldn’t say that, but… he’s not so bad,” I said reluctantly. Iris laughed before kissing me. 

“I think you two could get along if you gave him a chance,” she said, stepping back and smirking at me. I snorted.

“Don’t get ahead of yourself, Red. I’m gonna let him do the nursery, but this does not mean that I’m gonna start meetin’ him for a pint at the pub,” I replied, walking over to the sofa.

“Of course not. I highly doubt Hans drinks pints. More likely champagne,” she said with a roll of her eyes as she walked over and plopped next to me. I couldn’t help but reach over and caress her belly. I glanced up, seeing a look of complete bliss come over Red.

“You happy, Red?” I asked, though I could clearly see the answer.

“Of course, Oliver… certainly more so after today,” she said. I leaned over and kissed the side of her head.

“Then I guess it’s worth it to have to deal with Hans a bit more if it makes you happy,” I replied. 

Iris didn’t say anything, just laughed and kissed me back.


	12. Making Room for More Woods

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Obviously, I don't own anything created by J.K. Rowling, but I do own the Wood kids and other OCs. Ah, and the story.
> 
> Setting: Next Generation (Post-Hogwarts - Mostly Original Characters)  
> Genre: Humor  
> Rating: M (Language)

_Daisy Wood  
_ _July 11, 2029  
_ _21 Weeks_

Days later and I was still fuming over the fact that Mum and Dad intended to turn my room - and possibly the entire third floor - into the new nursery. It wasn’t fair. Couldn’t they knock down a wall and combine Remus and Alan’s rooms? Why did it have to be mine? Not to mention, we’d lose the upstairs lounge, though truth be told, it was getting rather cramped there with everyone getting married and all. We ended up in the gym last Christmas, though most folks left early because of the children - namely Dominique and Paul, Molly and her husband Liam, Lucy and Ryan, and Victoire and Teddy, even though Teddy looked as though he wanted to stay. It was really only me and Wills, Alan and Bridget, Lila and Jamie, John, Christos and Roxanne, Toby and Tessa, James, Freddie and Lily that stuck around for an extended amount of time. Rose went off to see Scorpio - he still didn’t feel that accepted by parts of the family and was nervous to hang around us. Albus was never one for our gatherings, though Hugo did manage to stay a bit, in awe that he was finally being accepted by the older kids. Even Louie was there with his fiancée Sophia for a bit.

“Seriously, Daisy? You’re still angry about this?” Toby asked with a chuckle as he handed me a mug of tea. I scowled at him as I took the mug and brought it to my lips.

“It’s my room!” I said indignantly as he sat next to me on the sofa. 

“You have an entire building that you live in with Wills,” he said. “Surely you could stand to give up your old room that you hardly ever use for you future little brothers or sisters?” I just continued to scowl as I turned my attention to the fireplace. “Really, Pix…”

“I’m not being ridiculous. How would you feel if you lost your room at your parents’ house?” I muttered.

“They turned my room into a guest room ages ago,” Toby said with a chuckle. “Soon as I moved out.” I whipped my head over to glare at him. “Though Tessa and I still use it when we stay over.”

I huffed as I looked down into the mug. Of course, Toby wouldn’t take news like that harshly. He always had been an agreeable sort. And after all these years, he was still my best friend, even though we didn’t hang out as much as we used to. He and Tessa had finally gotten married last summer and were now very much settled. Tessa still went back to visit the island often, but she had finally come to love London. Though I had a good feeling it was because of Toby. 

I didn’t want to admit it, but he did have a point. I was being unreasonable. I hadn’t really used my room outside of when we stayed over for Christmas. And I suppose I could stand to use one of my brothers’ rooms. Mum and Dad had converted part of the gym into a guest suite since there were always Prostatis popping in and out, needing a place to stay. Aunt Hermione had very seamlessly worked them into the Ministry, though only the twins and Tessa had decided to stay full-time in the ministry. Even Nikos still came around to visit, though he was now one of the elders and needed to stay on the island most of his time. He had just come around a couple weeks ago to check on myself, Mum and Lila.

“So… twin boys, eh?” Toby said, changing the topic. I sighed and looked down at my belly, placing my hand on it.

“They are going to kill me by the end of this,” I said. “Won’t stop moving around and it’s going to get crowded in there.”

“Sure, Wills is loving it,” Toby said with a chuckle.

“He won’t leave it alone. Any chance he gets, he’s got his hand or ear to my stomach,” I said with a roll of my eyes. “Convinced this means they’re for sure going to play quidditch. I swear he’s as bad as Dad in that regard. Thinks we should have our own team.”

“So, what they say is true - you really do marry someone like your dad,” he said with a chuckle. I glared at him. Wills was most definitely not like Dad. Toby choked slightly on his tea. “It seems your mum is getting pretty close to having an entire team…” I couldn’t help but smile slightly at that. Now that the shock had worn off, I was coming around more to the fact that I was going to have more siblings. More than that, Dad kept me rather entertained. 

“Did I tell you that Dad fainted in the healer’s office when they found out?” I said, imagining it in my mind. My tall, burly father splayed out on the floor - out cold. Out of shock. I wish I had been there to see it myself. Toby continued laughing.

“I imagine it was a bit of a shock. I mean, they are nearing 60,” he said. “Though neither look it.”

“Mum says it’s because of who we are. And Nikos said that we’ll age a bit more slowly as well as living longer,” I replied. “Dad, well, suppose all those years of playing quidditch helped. He still hits the pitch every morning. Though he’s starting to get a bit slow whenever we play.”

“He almost fell off his broom during the Christmas match,” Toby said. “Looked rather furious about it.” I snorted.

“He doesn’t want to admit that he’s getting older in some ways,” I said with a sigh. “But he’s likely to fall out of form when the babies come. Really don’t see him keeping up with it after nights of dealing with them.”

“But I thought he kept going on about how they were too old to have more children,” Toby said.

“Says that now, but you should have seen him when Remus and Laura announced they were having Gavin,” I replied. “Hit the gym even harder and nearly threw out his shoulder. Mum was furious with him. Had to go into St. Mungo’s.” 

“But I thought he took that news well?” Toby then asked. I chuckled again, thinking back to the few months after they had announced they were expecting. It wasn’t that long after I had married Wills and Dad was still reeling from that. While he had been happy with the news, a few days later Mum had owled me about sending some of my sore muscle cream, saying that Dad was going through her stocks rather quickly and she hadn’t had time to make up a new batch with the shop getting rather busy.

She had then come over, exasperated. Dad was insisting that they go on another honeymoon - to climb Mt. Everest. Dad was never one for mountain-climbing, so she wasn’t sure where it was coming from or why he was so fixated on it. But he wouldn’t let it go, spending hours each night researching it on the internet - seems he had finally figured out how to use it. Suggesting various spells and charms they could use so they could breathe at the top and stay warm throughout.

Mum finally lost it one night and shouted at him something fierce. It had all come out then - how he was worried that he was getting old and he wasn’t ready to be a grandfather. He had just married off his youngest and now another of his children was wed with a baby on the way. 

“He did after having a bit of a break down,” I said, looking over at him. “Tried to convince Mum to climb Mt. Everest. Dragged her out dancing at a club once as well.”

“Wish I could have seen that,” Toby said. 

“You and me both. I remember how they fell in the pool at my bachelorette party,” I said with a roll of my eyes.

“Honestly, I really don’t think of your parents as that old. They still look about the same as they did when we were in Hogwarts,” he replied. “My parents are going grey.”

“Oh, we’ll likely never know when Mum starts to go grey. Metamorphmagus and all,” I said. 

“Speaking of… you thought about what gifts the twins might have?” he asked. I frowned slightly. I had thought about it. A lot. Wills was of the mind that it would be brilliant if they all had my gifts, though I wasn’t so sure. I had struggled with them a lot before I got them under control. And not to mention, it didn’t bode well for wizardkind if more marked Prostatis appeared. There hadn’t been any since the troubles with the Network.

“I suppose there’s a chance they could have something,” I said, glancing at him. “I doubt they’ll have all of it. Jamie and I only got all of them when something bad was about to happen.”

“I imagine it won’t be fun for you and Wills if they get Legilimens,” Toby said with a chuckle. I shook my head. 

“Mum and Dad had a right good time of it with Jamie,” I replied. “He was constantly blurting out everything he heard… no… I think I would prefer two normal children with no gifts whatsoever. Except for maybe quidditch skills…”

“Of course, that’s the only thing you’d want,” Toby said. “What if they want to work in the Ministry?”

“I’ll not force them if they don’t want to,” I said quickly, frowning. “But you have to admit that the possibility is high. They are half me and half Wills.” 

“This is true. What if they surpass you?” Toby asked.

“As long as it’s not Lily, I’m happy,” I said, causing him to laugh loudly. “What?”

“Just… Pix, we all know that you’re going to live longer than most wizards and witches. You’ll be playing for a really long time, if I know you. And you’ll be good no matter what,” he said. “Stop worrying about Lily.”

“Can’t help it,” I muttered as I looked back down at my belly. Merlin, I already loved these babies so much. But I couldn’t help but wonder about how having children would ultimately affect my career.

“Stop worrying, Daisy. You’re going to be the greatest seeker in history,” Toby said. I looked over at him and smiled. I wasn’t so sure about that but bless him for always knowing what to say to cheer me up. I then jumped slightly, feeling one of the babies move. “Was it one of them?” I nodded and grabbed his hand, placing it on my belly. His eyes widened slightly as he felt the soft kick. “So that’s what it feels like?”

“Probably won’t be long until you’re doing this with Tessa,” I said, smiling at him. Toby blushed slightly.

“We’re still putting that off a bit. Get used to being married and all first,” he said, pulling his hand back, though he continued to stare at my belly. I just gave him a look. “Seriously, Pix. Just because you and Jamie are about to be parents doesn’t mean all of us have to have them!” 

“Well, you are falling behind… Victoire and Teddy have two now, Molly’s got one, Lucy has two, Remus has one…” I said, counting off the couples on my fingers. “Now me and Jamie…”

“One thing at a time, Pix,” Toby said laughing. “Besides, then you’d see me even less.”

“This is true,” I mused. I jumped again and looked down. This time Toby leaned over, moving his hand around my belly. His face lit up as he felt the kick. 

“It is pretty amazing, though,” he said.

“Yea… it is…”

~~~

_Jamie Wood_  
_July 13, 2029  
_ _Lila - 22 weeks_

I dropped my team bag down in the foyer before heading back to the den. Even though the League was on break, we had already had our first European Cup game - a win, thankfully. Dad was doing his best at practice, though we could all tell he was distracted by Mum. I was pretty sure he was only in today because she forced him out of the house. He was a bit harder on us than usual and I had come home aching slightly.

“How was practice?” Lila asked from the stove, turning to smile at me. I walked over and kissed her.

“Dad was in a bit of a mood,” I said, before bending over to kiss her belly. Lila laughed softly. “How was your day?” 

“Good,” she said. “The European Cup is providing a lot of work, though we’ve split the work up - me with the least.” She turned back to the stove, focusing on dinner. “They are all speculating at the office how long Daisy will be gone.” 

I sighed as I reached into the fridge and pulled out a beer. I felt as though I needed it after working with Dad all day. 

“She’s determined to get back quickly,” I said. “But she’s still worried it’ll be too long.” 

“I am sure she will at least be good to play in the World Cup,” Lila said, looking over at me. I shrugged.

“If we even get in,” I said. “We still have a few more qualifiers and Fraser’s not as good. Another reason Dad took out his frustration today. There’s another match in a few weeks. Between this, the babies, and the European Cup, I honestly don’t know how he’s handling it.”

“So, you will be in practice with him and the others soon?” Lila asked, turning away from the stove after waving her wand and the food continued to cook on its own. I nodded.

“Between the European Cup and World Cup practices, I’m in practice pretty much every day,” I said. “Sure Mum is happy for the distraction. He was muttering something today about how her workshop is no place for a pregnant woman.” Lila laughed again, shaking her head.

“I wonder if he was like this with all of you and your brothers and Daisy,” she said, walking over to me. 

“Maybe,” I said. “The only stories I’ve heard were about how Mum nearly murdered him once she went into labor.” 

“You don’t suppose it is that bad?” Lila asked, her face suddenly losing a bit of color. “Iris is normally such a calm person….” 

“I don’t think it’s like that for everyone,” I said quickly, hoping to abate her fears. “Laura wasn’t homicidal with Gavin.” Lila relaxed slightly. I pulled her towards me and kissed her cheek. “We’ll be fine.” She looked down to her growing belly. 

“I am eager to see her. See who she takes after,” she said, smiling up at me. “And well, my back will be ready for her to come as well…”

“Hopefully she’ll look like you,” I said, looking up at her. 

“Ah, and here I was hoping she would have your curls,” she said, playing with my still slightly wet hair. I smiled, though it was tempered at the thought of what else they might inherit. “What is it Jamie?”

“Just… you think she’ll have any of my gifts?” I asked. Lila smiled again.

“I told you before, we do not need to worry about that. Whatever she may have, we have more than enough support to help her with it,” she said softly.

“But what if she’s marked? Like Mum was?” I asked, my heart constricting slightly. While part of it was what our daughter would have to deal with growing up, the other part was about what it would mean. Lila sighed as she ran her fingers through my hair.

“It has been five years since the troubles,” she said. “I do not think that we should expect anything like that again anytime soon. Did not the professor say they have had no more marks on the island?”

“He did,” I replied. 

“Then we should not worry. I am sure that our daughter will be perfectly healthy and able to handle whatever she may inherit,” she said. “And there is a chance she may inherit nothing.” I nodded and placed my hands on her belly. While Lila felt her a lot now, I had only felt Marjorie move a couple times. Usually by the time I placed my hand on Lila, she would stop moving around. But as soon as I put my hands there this time, I felt a soft bump on my right hand. My eyes widened as I looked up at Lila, who was smiling.

“She knows her Papa loves her very much,” she said, placing her hands on hers. “She moves a lot when she hears your voice.” I looked down at her belly again and leaned closer. 

“Hello, Marjorie… it’s Daddy,” I said, nearly pressing my lips to Lila’s stomach. Lila laughed softly.

“She can hear you,” she replied. I felt another small bump. “She likes it.” 

I couldn’t help as an overwhelming warmth flowed through me. Part of it was Lila, I knew, but part of it was myself. How could I possibly possess this much love for a small person that I hadn’t even met yet?

Lila grimaced slightly and jumped. I looked up at her, my eyes wide.

“Something wrong?” I asked, quickly standing.

“No, nothing,” Lila said with a smile. “But she just kicked my bladder. Can you watch dinner for a moment?” She then scurried off to the downstairs bathroom in the hall. I chuckled softly and walked over, checking on dinner preparations. Everything seemed underway. I had to admit that Lila’s pregnancy so far had been easy. Much easier than I was expecting. She didn’t have many bouts of mood swings – much unlike Pix though she was always a bit temperamental - and didn’t really crave anything odd or strange, though we did have to stop having anything with fish in it. The smell turned her stomach a bit. Perhaps all the books I had read were wrong and it would be this easy all the way throughout.

Lila came back out just as I had started sending the food and dishes to the table. She smiled as she got herself a glass of water and then walked to sit down. I followed over and sat next to her, starting to eat. 

“Papa was thinking he might come to stay with us after the baby comes,” she said, glancing at me. “I felt it best since Iris will be rather far along at the time.” I couldn’t help but snort slightly at the thought of Marcus Flint here helping with the baby. He hadn’t been around after Lila was born. “What?”

“It’s fine, just… what does he know about babies?” I asked lightly. Lila frowned slightly.

“He’s been reading. And plans to go to classes with us,” she said, slightly irritated. “Not to mention, he knows about the same as you.” I stared at her a moment, blinking. I hadn’t meant any offense by the statement. “Besides, Iris has her own pregnancy to worry about and I’m sure she will be helping Daisy and Wills when she can. He’s the only other person we’ve got.”

“I’m sure Gran Weasley will come by as well,” I said. “As will Gran Wood. They won’t all be over at Pix’s the whole time. She’s got Wills’ Mum.”

“But Daisy is having twins,” Lila said. “And she is Daisy.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” I asked, starting to frown myself. She may be grown, but she was my little sister. Besides I thought Lila and Pix had put their tiff behind them. It was years ago. Lila sighed heavily.

“It is nothing, just… you know how everyone flocks to her,” Lila said, a slight strain in her voice. “Even now, they are always talking about her and the twins. It is almost as though they forget that we are having a baby too.”

“But Mum and Dad have bought us loads of stuff for the baby,” I said. “And Hans fawns over you just as much as Mum and Pix whenever we meet up with him.”

“He did not offer to build us a nursery,” she said.

“Yea, and he didn’t offer to build Pix one either,” I replied. “To be honest, I think he’s still trying to suck up to Dad.” Lila stared at me a moment before she started smiling and a small laugh escaped her lips. I breathed a bit easier. I was not looking forward to getting into a fight with Lila.

“That I would agree with,” she said. “He does not seem quite so afraid of him anymore, but he does seem to be trying hard to win him over. Much like Wills…” I put down my fork and leaned over to Lila, kissing her cheek.

“I assure you - my family is just as excited about Marjorie as they are Pix’s boys and Mum’s new ones,” I said softly. “More than that, I can’t wait until she’s here. And we both know with my family; she’s going to be spoiled rotten no matter what.” Lila nodded slowly.

“Gran Weasley did send over a package of pink baby booties today,” she admitted. 

“See? And she’s got loads of great-grandchildren now, but she still makes time for us,” I replied. “Trust me… everyone is excited about Marjorie.” Lila leaned over and kissed me.

“What did I do to deserve you, Jamie Wood,” she asked.

“I often wonder the same about you,” I replied. Lila chuckled and picked up her fork again.

“Hurry before I have to reheat it,” she said, motioning towards my plate.

We started eating again, as the conversation turned towards the nursery and various things we still needed to get for it. I watched Lila closely. While she seemed happier than earlier, I made a mental note to try harder to make her feel special. And perhaps to mention it to the others. This was after all the love of my life and the woman carrying my child.

She deserved the whole world.


	13. The Unveiling

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Obviously, I don't own anything created by J.K. Rowling, but I do own the Wood kids and other OCs. Ah, and the story.
> 
> Setting: Next Generation (Post-Hogwarts - Mostly Original Characters)  
> Genre: Humor  
> Rating: M (Language)

Oliver sighed as he walked around the landing to head up the last flight of stairs and ended up running into Remus as he was stepping out of his room in his sleep-filled haze. He cursed under his breath as he felt his knees creaked slightly. He should have apparated to the third floor instead of taking the stairs.

“Gavin up too?” Oliver asked, looking over at his son. Remus sighed heavily and shook his head.

“No, thank Merlin. Sleeping through all of it. But I can’t,” he replied, looking up at the ceiling. “Everyone else up?”

“Believe so. Just taking these to your mum,” Oliver replied, holding up the bottles. Remus chuckled and shook his head. 

“I cannot believe that I have two more siblings,” he said, running his fingers through his hair. “But I have to admit that Hans created a baby wonderland upstairs. Merlin, even Laura’s mentioned having him work on our place…”

“Be prepared,” Oliver muttered. “He’ll bloody be in your hair constantly.” Remus just chuckled as he shook his head and made his way towards the stairs going down.”

“Don’t think we didn’t notice the sheen of tears in your eyes,” he called out.

“I did not cry,” Oliver said indignantly.

“Right. The Great Oliver Wood never cries. How could I forget?” Remus shouted back. Oliver just frowned. He didn’t cry. Much, at least. And how would Remus bloody know? He wasn’t there when Hans had shown him and Iris the finished rooms. The kids didn’t even come over until later that day.

Huffing one last time, Oliver moved towards the stairs, glaring over his shoulder at his son. Oliver Wood did not cry. Especially around Hans.

~~~

_Oliver Wood  
_ _Aug. 20, 2029  
_ _Iris - 21 weeks_

I lost track of how many mornings I woke up to hammering and sawing upstairs at this point. Even though she hadn’t said a word about it, I was fairly certain that Red was behind letting Hans and his crew into the house at an ungodly hour just to spite me. I had dropped several hints that 7 a.m. was entirely too early for them to start - especially when I still had practice to run every day - but apparently no one listened or cared. That morning, I had finally had enough. 

Grabbing my robe, I stormed up the stairs, ready to read Hans the riot act. This was taking it way too far. How was a man to get any sleep around here?

“Hans,” I bellowed as I cleared the staircase and looked around. All the furniture had been moved out and there was plastic down everywhere. The hammering stopped as Hans stepped out of the room, a hard hat placed crookedly on his head. Part of me wanted to chuckle - he did look rather comical in his lavender robes and matching lavender helmet. For a moment I wondered if he charmed the helmet to match whatever he was wearing for the day. Of course, I pushed that aside, suddenly remembering why I had come up here in the first place. A frown quickly replaced the amused smile that had somehow worked itself onto my face.

“Oliver! Have you come to see da nursery?” he asked brightly as he grinned. I narrowed my eyes as I stepped closer, towering over the slight man.

“How many times do I have to tell you - 7 a.m. is way entirely too early to start work,” I growled. His eyes widened as he gulped and backed up slightly, the color slowly draining from his face. “Why can’t you get here at a decent hour?! Preferably after I’ve left for the pitch!”

He glanced around the room frantically before meeting my eyes and smiling nervously. 

“Come! Don’t you vant to see vhat ve’re doing?” he asked, completely ignoring my rant. He then grabbed my hand and started pulling me towards the room before I could say anything. Just a moment - this is not why I came up here. And I surely wasn’t going to let him forget it.

“This is- what?!” I shouted. Before I knew it, he had dragged me into the main bedroom and stopped in the middle of it. All of Pix’s things were long gone by now and a carpenter quickly scurried out, leaving us alone. There were several swatches of paint on the wall as though he hadn’t quite decided on the color, but I was happy to see that my old house colors as well as my team colors were possibilities. In my opinion, red and gold or navy blue and gold would make for fantastic nursery colors. They were also in the process of building a giant set of shelves and cubbies on the wall here Pix’s desk used to be. The opposite wall had been knocked down, expanding the room to one of the storage areas in the attic, though they had yet to start work on whatever that bit was meant to be.

“I dink dat ve should be able to start furniture shopping soon,” he said, his face lit up as he looked around, pleased with his work. There was a giant easel up with the full plan there. I stepped over, studying it closely. While it was fairly similar to the vision he had originally given us, this was more fleshed out. Truth be told, I was a bit in awe of it. Every bit of space in both the bedroom and lounge was to be utilized. The playroom could also be easily converted into a study room as they got older. Granted by then, we would have to move them into their own rooms - it was likely to be a fight over who would stay upstairs if they were anything like our other children.

“This is… this is something,” I murmured, still looking it over. Hans carefully stepped over to my side and began walking me through the plan as I nodded and listened. After he finished, he stood nervously waiting, watching to see what I would say or do.

“I like it. But I think rather than doing this, you should do that here in the playroom. Put the cribs here and here,” I said. Hans didn’t say anything as I spoke. I then stopped and turned to him, wondering what was going on in that flouncy head of his. What I found was Hans staring up at me adoringly, his eyes quickly filling with tears. He then threw his arms around me and began blubbering like an idiot.

“Get off,” I said, trying to push him aside, but he had a surprising amount of strength for a little bloke.

“Ve are bonding, Oliver!!” he shouted gleefully. I frowned.

“We are not!” I shot back. Hans finally let go of me, still grinning. “I… I gotta get ready for work,” I said, turning and striding out of the room. “Start at 8 am tomorrow!”

“Of course!”

~~~

_Sept. 15, 2029  
_ _Iris - 25 weeks_

I got a sense of deja vu as I stood in the library and watched as Hans directed his team of workers in the backyard. They were busy situating tables and chairs before they started decorating and I was curious as to how they expected to get all of it done before everyone began arriving around 1 p.m. Even though this wasn’t nearly as big as Pix’s wedding - and I had managed to talk the girls into lowering the number of invitations - there were still going to be around 80 people at our place that afternoon for the shower, including a reporter or two. And they still needed to get the decorations sorted before the caterer showed up with all the food. 

Thankfully, the weather was set to be sunny and relatively warm for the season, so we wouldn’t have to put up tents or go around placing heating charms on all the tables. And there would be no live animals or creatures here this time. Not to mention, we had intentionally told Molly Weasley that it would start two hours later so when she showed up to “help” it would actually be time for the bloody party to start.

I had actually thought up that one and felt it was a rather brilliant idea. Red had just scoffed and rolled her eyes. Molly had apparently learned her lesson at Pix’s wedding and had no desire whatsoever to help with any other parties or events, declaring herself officially retired from that sort of thing. I wasn’t convinced, but Red had owled Arthur the actual start time just in case my plan backfired, knowing that Molly would be furious if she arrived late to the shower for her next round of great-grandkids and grandkids.

“Keeping a sharp eye on Hans?” Red asked as she walked into the library and stood at my side, staring out the window, a tea mug in hand. She was still in her silk dressing robe, likely taking it easy for now since the others wouldn’t be here for a few more hours and Hans had assured the both of us that everything was under control and there was nothing for us to worry about or take care of - especially Iris. I hadn’t seen whatever she planned to wear that day yet, but I knew, whatever it was, Red would look amazing in it. She was once again glowing with happiness and excitement. Granted, I couldn’t blame her. While the kids had told us what they were having - and a few select friends - all three of the girls were planning to officially announce the genders at the shower.

I, for one, was eager to see the looks on the triplets and Pix’s face when they found out about their new younger siblings. We had intentionally not told them yet, wanting to wait until the party.

While she continued watching through the window and drinking her tea, I stepped over and placed my hand on her belly and was rewarded by a soft kick. I couldn’t help but beam as Iris chuckled softly.

“Suppose that one is the future keeper?” she asked, looking up at me with a raised eyebrow.

“Could be. It was a good, strong kick,” I replied.

“I should know… they keep me up half the night playing football with my bladder,” she said with a sigh. “I will be quite ready for these two to get here.”

“You sure about that? Then it’s the crying and the dirty nappies and such?” I asked. “And never getting enough sleep. The bottles.”

“I’m sure we’ll survive,” she said. She then kissed my cheek and started back towards the kitchen. “I should start getting ready. You should think about getting ready as well.”

“But it’s only 9 a.m.,” I replied, looking over at her. “I thought we could have a lazy morning?”

“Hans wants to show us the nursery before the others arrive,” Iris called out to me. How could I forget? After the morning where I went up to yell at him, I had started spending a bit more time up there. I’d typically pop up before going to the stadium to hear the plan for the day and offer whatever advice I had and then pop in before they left for the day to see what progress was made.

Of course, for the last two weeks even I had been banned from the third floor as Hans was insistent that the final look be a surprise for the both of us. He had been up there doing Merlin knows what trying to get it finished. Iris said that the deliveries had been nearly non-stop for the whole time and she had shut herself up in her workshop just to get away from them.

Though it was perfect timing the shower today. I’m sure that we’d be getting plenty of new things to add. Not to mention, I was giddy for Iris to open the present I got her.

“And don’t even think of going upstairs,” Iris added as she started to climb the stairs. 

“I wasn’t going to!” I shouted back, frowning in her general direction. I heard her laugh as I turned my attention back to circus going on outside. Several tables were now in the air, a group of people standing with their wands out as Hans oversaw the work, randomly shouting things as he gestured frantically. I sighed and shook my head. 

Here was hoping that today was less trouble than the wedding.

~~~

“No peeking!” Hans shouted from behind us.

“Couldn’t peek if I bloody wanted to,” I muttered, reaching up to touch the blindfold that was on my face. I felt Iris punch me in the back. I stumbled slightly on the stairs but managed to keep going as I gripped the railing. Blindfolds on stairs were a bad idea in my opinion, though thankfully Hans was guiding Iris up behind me. The last thing I wanted was for her to trip and hurt the babies. 

“Just a bit further,” Hans said from behind me. I continued going up slowly until I felt there were no more stairs. Sighing with relief, I walked a bit further, sure that I had left enough room and then waited. I felt Iris reach out and take my hand, then heard Hans and George step behind us. 

“Okay! Ready? Vone! Two! Three!”

The blindfolds came off and I looked around the playroom, my eyes widening as I took it in. There were two rocking chairs there with navy cushions and matching blankets over the backs. There were also two matching toy chests as well as a small, navy sofa. The walls were white with navy and gold brooms, quaffles, and snitches flying around. 

It was perfect.

I looked down at Iris, seeing her eyes tear up. Hans was practically bouncing on his toes as he ushered us over to look at the room. He had knocked down the wall in between the room and the attic storage space, adding vastly more space. The same wallpaper was in the room, though on either side of the main window sat two cribs with quidditch mobiles over them. Everything was in varying shades of gold, grey and navy. On the wall above the crib were two framed paintings with the names of our newest additions on them.

The expansion included a larger walk-in closet as well as changing station and had two more windows, allowing more light in. I couldn’t really say anything as I took it all in. There were stuffed animals everywhere in tiny quidditch uniforms. Perhaps I had encouraged Hans to go a bit overboard with all the quidditch stuff, but I couldn’t help it. They would have a long time to decorate their rooms as they wished, I would have my quidditch nursery for at least their first few years. 

“Oh, it’s beautiful, Hans,” Iris said, tears now falling down her cheeks. 

“Vell… a lot of dis vas Oliver,” Hans said, glancing at me. Iris looked over at me. 

“You worked… together?” Iris asked, a bit flabbergasted. “When?”

“I’d come up a bit before I left for the pitch and when I got back for the day,” I said, looking down at my feet. “Who knew we’d make a good team.” Iris went speechless as Hans grinned and puffed his chest out slightly. “Now, don’t you go gettin’ any ideas. This was a onetime thing.”

“Of course, Oliver,” Hans said. I frowned at him slightly. “I mean… Mr. Vood.” I nodded and took one more look around the room.

“Dare say we should probably get downstairs,” Iris said, wiping at her eyes. “Everyone will be here soon.” I walked over to inspect the cribs, making sure to keep my back to Iris and Hans.

“I’ll be down in a bit,” I said. I could hear Iris stop.

“Oliver…”

“Won’t be much longer,” I said. I heard her walk up to me.

“Oliver… are you crying?” she asked softly.

“No,” I said stiffly, keeping my back to her. She chuckled softly as she wrapped her arms around me from behind and kissed my shoulder.

“I’ll see you downstairs when you get your tears under control,” she said before letting go. 

“I’m not crying,” I said sternly as I turned around, seeing her and Hans chuckling as they left the room. “I’m not!” I shook my head and looked around the room, reaching up to rub my eyes. “I’m not crying…”

~~~

I looked around the crowded yard and took a drink of my lemonade, part of me wishing I could slip something stronger in there. I had long lost Iris as more guests arrived and the gift tables started filling up with presents. I looked over, seeing Wills beaming from Pix’s side, his hand protectively on her belly. At 31 weeks, she looked nearly ready to pop, but still looked beautiful in her long dress with her hair down. They were speaking with Dom and Paul. Dom had their son Derek on her hip. Not far off Teddy was busy chasing Adelaide around while Victoire held onto their other daughter Marcelle, who was struggling to break free from her grip. Lucy walked up, a ginger tot in her arms while Ryan was carrying Ailis.

Not far off, Lila and Jamie were talking to Nilsson and his wife, who was holding their daughter Mara. 

I had never seen this many children running around our house since the kids were little. And there were sure to only be more. This time next year there would be at least five more additions. 

“So, any hints as to what we’re having?” George asked, stepping up to my side, taking a drink. I suspected that it wasn’t just lemonade in there from his grin. 

“Not until later. Iris made me promise,” I replied, looking around the backyard again. 

“Adelaide! NO!” Teddy shouted as his oldest attempted to climb up onto one of the storybook displays of Winnie the Pooh. He quickly scooped her up and walked back over to Victoire.

“You ready for all that again?” George asked. I sighed and shook my head.

“And it’s going to be two of them,” I replied, taking another drink.

“Plus three grandkids,” George said, chuckling. I frowned as I looked over at him.

“You have an identical gene as well. I hope that both Freddie and Roxanne have nothing but twins and they dump them off at your house all the time,” I said. George just laughed loudly.

“I certainly hope at least one of them have twins,” he said with a sigh. I shook my head, chuckling, as I looked back to the party. The entire family was here - as were both Puddlemere and the Arrows. Some of Lila’s co-workers had shown up as well. 

“So, this is what a baby shower looks like?” Marcus said, walking up and looking completely overwhelmed. 

“It is when Hans does it,” I replied as George nodded and walked over to Angelina, who was now feeling around Daisy’s stomach. “Don’t think there’s normally this much fanfare.”

“The bloke who did Daisy’s wedding, yea?” he asked. I nodded slowly. “Did nice work.”

“Thankfully there were no creatures this time around,” I said. I glanced over at him. “How are you feeling? Ready to be a grandad?” Marcus took a deep breath and slowly let it out.

“About as ready as I can be. Told Lila that’d I help out with the baby when it came. Seeing as you and Iris’ll be a bit busy,” he said. I chuckled.

“You sure about that?” I asked. “Babies are a lot of work.”

“Well, someone needs to do it,” he replied. “Figured it was about time I stepped up.” I nodded. “What’s it like, then? Being a grandad?” I looked over, seeing Remus toss Gavin up in the air, the little tot giggling and squealing as he kicked his little legs. I couldn’t help but smile.

“Best thing in the world,” I said. I then looked over at Pix, who was laughing at something that Lucy said. The ginger in question was smirking up at her husband as he shifted Ailis to his other hip and frowned at his wife. 

“And how you feel about being a dad again?” Marcus asked. I sighed a bit heavier that time, looking through the crowd for my wife. As if she knew I was looking for her, people parted and she stepped out, stopping here and there to talk to people. She was in a dark green lace dress that hit her at the knee, a white ribbon around the waistband. Her red hair was down, with a headband holding her curls back. 

“Like the luckiest man in the world,” I said, watching as she made her way over to me, a soft smile on her face as she kept her hands on her stomach. 

“What are you two talking about?” she asked as I leaned down and kissed her cheek. 

“Being a grandparent… and parent,” I replied. Iris looked over at Marcus.

“Overheard Lila. Seems you had a date this week,” she said, a smile on her face. My eyes widened as I looked over at him, surprised.

“You take Nancy out finally?” I asked. He blushed slightly and nodded. 

“Just for coffee,” he said. “Nothing special.”

“It’s about time,” I replied. “You’ve only been talking about asking her out for months.” Marcus choked on his drink and sputtered a bit.

“Like I said, it was just coffee,” he said, coughing. I just shared a look with Iris who shook her head. 

“Mum, Dad, Hans said it’s time to get things started,” Daisy said, waddling up to us, Wills in tow. I nodded and glanced around the party.

“Suppose it is…”


	14. The Shower

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Obviously, I don't own anything created by J.K. Rowling, but I do own the Wood kids and other OCs. Ah, and the story.
> 
> Setting: Next Generation (Post-Hogwarts - Mostly Original Characters)  
> Genre: Humor  
> Rating: M (Language)

_Daisy Wills  
_ _Sept. 15, 2029  
_ _31 weeks_

I was more than ready to sit down and get things started. After an hour of standing and greeting people, I felt as though my feet and ankles were so swollen that they would burst. Wills, of course, led me over and immediately conjured up a foot stool for me under the table and an extra cushion for my chair.

“I’m fine,” I said, trying to shoo him away. I loved the man, but sometimes he was a bit much.

“Are you sure? I could-”

“Seriously, Wills,” I replied, cutting him off with a laugh. He looked over at the amused looks on my mother and Lila’s face before quickly doing the same for them, causing Dad to frown and Jamie to chuckle. “We’re all fine, Wills.” 

“Of course,” he said. He left a kiss on my cheek before moving to a nearby table. Hans had put the three of us at the table of honor under a grand floral awning. He was now flouncing around the guests, trying to get everyone to sit down so we could be served lunch.

“Anyone else feel like we’re on display,” I asked, reaching for my lemonade.

“A bit,” Mum replied, smiling and nodding at a server who had a levitating tray of plates behind her and place three salads in front of us. 

“Suspect they’re all staring at you more so than us,” Lila said, picking up her fork. I looked over, seeing Mum’s cheeks flush slightly. 

“Likely. Think folks were most surprised about my pregnancy,” she said, smiling slightly as there was a flash from somewhere near the back.

“Did we really need to invite Witch Weekly?” I asked, trying not to scowl at the photographer and reporter, who were - thankfully - seated far at the back and away from us. They promised to behave and stay out of the way.

“They’re going to write about us anyway,” Mum replied with a sigh. “At least there are no pixies here.” Lila snorted from her other side as I frowned at her. Would no one lay off on the damn pixies? They were fine during the wedding. I wasn’t so sure just why everyone was keen on continuing to bring them up. We had specifically told Hans no creatures this time, so it’s not like there was going to be some other catastrophe.

“Seems everything is going off without a hitch so far,” I commented before taking a bite of food. 

“Hans did do an amazing job. I can’t wait to show you the nursery after most folks leave,” Mum said. Even though part of me was excited, I couldn’t help a twinge of sadness. Okay, fine. I had acknowledged that I overreacted about the nursery. But still… I burst into tears when Mum and Dad had sent over the last boxes of memorabilia. It was the end of an era.

“Still going to make us wait with all the others to find out what you’re having?” I asked, raising an eyebrow in Mum’s direction. She just chuckled.

“Yes,” she said. 

We then settled into eating as Hans fluttered up several times to make sure we all had enough food in between ordering servers and workers around. I couldn’t help but also notice that he made sure that Dad had enough food as well, even sending over a glass of his favorite firewhiskey. That brought a chuckle to my lips. Guess he was still attempting to win him over.

Once lunch was over, the plates quickly disappeared, though I noticed a few plates of snacks had been left for us. Hans and his assistant George stationed themselves at the sides of our table and proudly raised their wands, levitating the first of the gifts towards us. I couldn’t help as my eyes widened at the sheer amount of them. Granted, we had invited a lot of people and there were three of us. 

As Hans and George settled them on the table, he glanced back at us, silently asking if we were ready. We had decided to announce the genders just before we opened the presents as it was likely to be a long ordeal. Mum nodded and Hans turned back to the group.

“Ve vould like to dank you all for coming today. And now… it is time!” he shouted joyfully, clapping excitedly as murmurs went through the crowd. A couple workers carried three boxes and placed them in front of our table. With the right charm, they would explode into colored bubbles. Mum had worked on them with Uncle George and assured us - read: Dad, Wills and Jamie - that they were perfectly safe. 

We all stood to our feet, Mum and I holding our hands out towards the boxes as Lila held her wand out. Hans and George stepped back, the two of them bouncing on their toes.

“Vone! Two! THREE!” 

The three of us said the charm in unison and the boxes exploded - as planned.

Not planned - the flurry of pink and blue pixies that swarmed out of them. 

A number of things happened at once. 

Many of the guests ducked under tables as the offending creatures swooped around in the air, some of them grabbing glasses and cups and tossing them about. Hans screeched for someone to protect the gifts. Dad, Jamie and Wills dove over from their table, pushing in front of the three of us, all of them frantically trying to figure out what to do as they pulled their wands out. Uncle George was the only person not dodging for cover, instead sitting on the ground next to his turned over chair holding his sides as he laughed hysterically.

I couldn’t help as a smile spread across my face and I started laughing as well. The chaos was rather comical. I didn’t even know that Hans’ voice could go that high.

“This isn’t funny, Pix!” Dad shouted, quickly sending off a few stunning charms and managing to hit a few pixies. “It’s a bloody nightmare just like before!”

“It is kind of funny, Dad,” I replied, still laughing. So this is what everyone was talking about with the pixies. I didn’t think they were doing all that much damage. Wills just gave me a look before turning back to the pixies. “They aren’t doing much…”

And they weren’t outside of the few rogue ones that had managed to toss about some things, most of them were lazily zooming around once free of their boxes. Dad was now glaring at Uncle George, who had managed to pull himself back up in his chair and lifted his glass towards us. 

“I don’t think they mean any harm, Oliver,” Iris said. 

“Just a moment, everyvone!” Hans shouted, his eyes still on the pixies. “Ve vill haf dis cleared up momentarily!” He then looked to Dad and motioned him over. Dad sighed and shook his head. He gave Mum a kiss before walking over and then motioned for Jamie and Wills to follow. The three of us settled back into our chairs and watched as Hans mobilized an army of his workers to clear out the pixies. It seemed he had learned from the last time. 

About 30 minutes later, the guests were now seated back at their tables as a flushed and slightly sweaty Hans rushed back up to us. 

“Vell… since da announcement was… postponed… I suppose ve vill do dis the old-fashioned vay,” he said, glancing over at us. With the explosion of pixies, it was chaotic and no one could tell which box they came from. Mum looked over at me and motioned for me to go first. I smiled and stood.

“We’re having twin boys,” I said loudly. There were happy gasps and clapping throughout.

“IDENTICAL TWIN BOYS!” Wills added loudly. I looked over to glare at him, but found I couldn’t as I chuckled and sat down. Mum then stood and smiled. I couldn’t help as my foot started bouncing slightly in anticipation.

“We’re having… a boy and a girl,” she said, grinning. I couldn’t help as my mouth dropped open. I was sure it would be another set of identicals. After she sat, both Lila and I reached over to hug her, tears in our eyes. 

“Really? I’m going to have a little brother and sister?” I asked softly. Mum nodded. She then looked over at Lila and squeezed her hand. Lila stood and looked around, seeming less comfortable speaking in front of a crowd. 

“A little girl… we’re naming her Marjorie Iris,” she said. There was more clapping and happy murmurs through the crowd. She then sat back down and Hans and George proceeded to bring up the presents for us to open. 

With each present we opened, George carefully noted down who it was from in a large book while Hans sent them off to three other tables with each of our names on them. Every time I opened another, I glanced over at Wills who was beaming with happiness. I wasn’t sure how we were going to get all of this home. And I was certain that our children were going to be spoiled rotten.

The team had gifted us with two mini Arrows uniforms while the rest of Wills’ team had given us two Puddlemere uniforms. That didn’t surprise me. Nor did the amount of quidditch related clothes, toys and such. Mum and Lila got just as much it seemed. 

Everyone had our family pegged, that was sure. 

~~~

_Jamie Wood  
_ _Sept. 15, 2029  
_ _Lila - 31 weeks_

I sighed as I looked around the still rather full living room at the country house. After the shower, most of the guests had left, though a small group remained. I had to give it to Hans - he did a great job with the shower. Even stepping in to clear out the pixies after Uncle George’s prank. Dad had spent a good 30 minutes yelling at him once he got the chance, but most of us agreed that no harm had been done.

Wouldn’t have been a Woods event without something happening, that was for sure.

“That was… some baby shower,” Teddy said, walking up to me, a beer in hand. I sighed and took a drink as I looked over at Dad and Mum speaking with Hans. He had been invited to stick around with the family after his workers had started cleaning up after the party and I thought his head might explode from happiness.

“That’s for sure. Should have known Uncle George would pull something when he offered to help Mum with the boxes,” I replied. 

“So, a little girl?” Teddy said. “Thought you were hoping for a boy?” I chuckled.

“I thought it would be, but I’m happy with a little girl. Sure we can always try for a boy next time,” I reply.

“And a little brother and sister. They tell you the names yet?” he asked. I shook my head.

“Not sure they’ve decided,” I said. 

“We have!” Wills said loudly as he walked up to us. 

“We have not!” Pix said, following him. He frowned down at her. “No. We are not naming them Pix 1 and 2!” Teddy chuckled and shook his head. 

“I wasn’t serious about that… just nicknames,” he said.

“Seems Wills 1 and 2 would be more fitting,” Teddy said with a chuckle.

“Thought we were thinking to name one of them after your dad?” Wills asked, looking back down at Pix. 

“Possibly. But _I_ thought we had decided to wait until they were born to finally decide,” Daisy replied. “We also talked about your father’s name. And others…”

“She suggested Lucas,” Wills said, turning back to us. My eyes widened slightly, though I wasn’t completely surprised that Pix was considering naming one after her coach. 

“Only after he shot down Bryan Wills, Jr.,” Daisy added. Both Teddy and I laughed at that. Figured he’d definitely want to name one of his children after himself.

“No one calls me Bryan,” Wills said immediately. “Why would I want to subject my son to that?” Daisy just chuckled and shook her head. It was good to see that her temper had gotten better. Granted, she had always had a bit of one. Pregnancy had only enhanced it a bit. Made her a bit more irritable.

“As you can see, we have a number of options that we’re working with,” Daisy said. “I’m of the mind that it’ll come to us once we finally meet them for the first time.”

“That’s true. It was like that with Adelaide and Marcelle,” Teddy offered. “We had loads of names picked out, but once we held them for the first time, it was just… we could tell.”

“See? And they are beautiful names for two beautiful little girls,” Pix said, putting her arm around Wills’ waist. “I’m more curious about what Mum and Dad are naming their twins.” About that time, Dad cleared his throat to get the room’s attention. 

“If you like, we can show you upstairs to the nursery,” he said, looking around the room. There were excited murmurs as everyone began following him up. I looked over and grabbed Lila’s hand, smiling down at her as we both started towards the stairs.

“How are you feeling?” I asked. She grinned at me.

“I’m good. Though about ready to get home,” she admitted, her hand resting on her stomach. “My feet are killing me.”

“Me too,” I replied. “I’m not sure how we’re going to get everything there.” Lila chuckled. 

“Sure it’s nothing a shrinking charm couldn’t fix,” she replied. I nodded. We continued up the stairs until we finally cleared the third floor and stepped into the new playroom. I couldn’t help but chuckle as I took in the quidditch theme. Fairly sure each of us had one.

Again, not surprised. 

I glanced over, seeing Daisy’s face light up. It would seem that she had finally accepted that she had lost her old room. She them immediately turned and walked towards her old bedroom. I glanced over at Lila and followed along with Wills, sure that we’d need to fend off some sort of breakdown.

Apparently Mum and Dad had the same idea as they followed as well. 

I walked in, seeing Daisy standing in the middle of the room, her hands over her mouth. 

“Pix?” Wills asked. She turned around, the tears apparent in her eyes. Her hands came down as we all saw a smile.

“It’s somethin’, isn’t it?” she asked. She then turned and stepped over to the cribs. “Rose Marie and David Arthur…”

“Your father wanted more flowers to add to the garden,” Mum replied. I looked over at her, seeing her leaning against Dad, her arms around him. 

“You also used Gran and Grandad Evans’ names,” Daisy said. Mum nodded.

“And Grandad Weasley,” she replied. Daisy walked over and hugged Mum, as much as she could, anyway. Their bellies were getting in the way. “They’re wonderful names and this is a beautiful nursery.”

I looked down at Lila, seeing her own eyes tearing up. I reached over and pulled her close.

“Ready to go home?” I asked softly. She nodded.

~~~

Later at home, I was walking down the hallway towards our room, but stopped in front of a doorway. I glanced towards our room, knowing Lila was waiting, but couldn’t help myself. I pushed the door open and stepped in, flipping the light on. 

After going back and forth, we had settled on varying shades of grey. I had thought at first it would be too depressing for a baby, but looking at the room, it still managed to be bright and cheerful. Three of the walls were white while one had a sort of geometric design on it in light and dark grey. The crib was a light grey with an animal mobile over it. A rocking chair sat in the corner with a white baby blanket thrown over it. There were stuffed animals everywhere as were all the packages of presents that we got at the shower today. It was going to take hours to sort through it all tomorrow.

“I thought that we would wait until tomorrow,” Lila said softly. I turned, seeing her leaning against the doorframe. I smiled as I walked over to her and put an arm around her waist. 

“Just nine more weeks,” I said, looking around the room. 

“I am certainly ready for her to be here,” she replied. I looked over, seeing her look down at her belly. “I nearly forgot about the Harpies vs. Magpies match last week. Left my notebook at home for the Arrows vs. Pride. Not to mention I have to visit the loo every five minutes it seems.” She looked up at me, smiling slightly. 

“Soon enough, our quiet home will be filled with the cries of a child,” I said. 

“And lots of laughter as well. The pitter patter of little feet,” she added.

“How soon do you think we can get her a broom?” I asked. Lila chuckled.

“You are just like your father,” she said. “I am surprised that he did not give her a broom today.”

“My father? Your dad was just as bad. Gave her a quaffle,” I replied with a snort. Lila just chuckled and shook her head.

“And a Slytherin onesie,” she replied. “To go with the Gryffindor onesie that your father gave her,” she said, rolling her eyes slightly.

“Makes sense. We were all Gryffindor. Mum likely would have been too,” I said.

“Ah, but Papa was a Slytherin. So there is a chance,” Lila said. “Or… she could be whoever… we do not know what she will be like.” I sighed and pulled her closer.

“This is true. She could be a clever Ravenclaw. Or a humble Hufflepuff,” I said. “Whoever she is, I’m eager to get to know her.”

“Me as well,” Lila said. “Though I will not miss the backaches.” She straightened up slightly, rubbing her lower back. “It is only going to get a bit worse before she comes.” I leaned over and kissed her head. 

“Perhaps a back rub would help,” I said. Lila grinned up at me.

“That would be wonderful,” she said. She then stepped away from the door and started down the hall, pulling me with her. “And perhaps…”

My eyes widened slightly as I gulped. While we had certainly kept up with that aspect of our marriage, it was starting to get a bit more difficult the larger she got. Not to mention, I couldn’t help but wonder how it affected the baby.

“Jamie,” she chided. “The healer said it was perfectly fine. The baby doesn’t know what’s going on.”

“But-”

She turned around and faced me, a smirk on her face as she stepped closer to me. 

“Jamie Frederick Wood,” she said, sliding her arms around my shoulders. “The baby will be fine. And we won’t get many more nights like this after she arrives…” She then went up on her toes and kissed me. 

“This is true,” I admitted, starting to smile.

“Then I suggest you follow me,” she said. She then turned and started down the hallway, once again leading me. I let out the breathe I had been holding in.

“Merlin…”

~~~

_Daisy Wills_  
_Sept. 15, 2029  
_ _31 weeks_

“Pix? Pix?! Where are you?” Wills shouted.

I looked up from where I was sitting in the rocking chair in the nursery, already in my pajamas. He had gone downstairs to fix me some tea and I had wandered in there.

“Nursery,” I called back. I heard feet against the floor and then suddenly Wills was in the doorway, tea mug in hand. He smiled softly as he walked over and handed me the mug and then looked around the room. We had finished it a couple weeks ago and I had taken to spending a decent amount of time in there every day rearranging things. And now it was full of bags of everything from the shower today. I’m sure that would take a few more hours. 

“Seems lots of work for us tomorrow,” he said with a sigh, looking around. I nodded and continued rocking as I sipped at my tea. 

“You think Hans was channeling us or we were channeling him?” Wills asked, smiling. I chuckled and shook my head.

“More like… my father and I are more alike than I realized,” I said, looking around the room. 

We had gone for more rustic colors - wood floors and wooden furniture. But the walls were beige with broomstick shelving much like the quilt rack that Dad had given us for our wedding. Both cribs had quidditch-themed mobiles. The nursery seemed to be the one thing that the two of us had agreed upon immediately and without any argument.

Wills then walked over and dropped to his knees on the floor in front of me, both of his hands on my belly.

“And how are our little boys tonight?” he asked.

“Sleeping. At the moment. Though I have a feeling that won’t be the case after I finish this tea,” I replied. “They seem to like to wake me up at night.” He chuckled and kissed my belly then started to rub it. 

“Just nine more weeks and then they’ll be here,” he said softly.

“Or sooner… multiples sometimes come earlier,” I replied, remembering what Mum and Gran Weasley had told me about the triplets and Uncle George and Uncle Fred. As well as my healer. And all the books that Wills and I had read. 

“Of course,” he replied, now back to staring at my belly. “Over half are born early - could be here in six weeks.” I couldn’t help but chuckle as I watched him as he started telling a story. He did this every night - usually when we were in bed. He’d lean over and launch into story after story - usually about quidditch. Tonight, he was telling them about the first time the Arrows beat Puddlemere in the finals. 

For a moment, my mind wandered. I could see him, two small bundles in his arms. Rocking them as he told the same story. My eyes started filling with tears as a smile came across my face. And for once, I wasn’t worried about how long it would take me to get back on the pitch or the World Cup. All I cared about was the man before me and the two little babies currently growing inside me. I wasn’t ready to be a full-time, stay-at-home mum, that was for sure. But I realized that I’d get back on the pitch when I was ready. And beyond that, my world now revolved around the two little boys that would be here soon.

“Pix? What’s wrong?” Wills asked, now looking up at me. “Indigestion? Need to pee? Your back?” I chuckled.

“I’m fine. Just… ready to meet the little ones,” I said, wiping at my cheeks. Wills smiled as he stood and kissed me.

“Come on, Mum. Let’s get you to bed,” he said, pulling me up. 

“Sounds wonderful…”


	15. The Nightmare of Pregnancy

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Obviously, I don't own anything created by J.K. Rowling, but I do own the Wood kids and other OCs. Ah, and the story.
> 
> Setting: Next Generation (Post-Hogwarts - Mostly Original Characters)  
> Genre: Humor  
> Rating: M (Language)

Oliver sighed as he stood looking up at the last flight of stairs. He could hear movement though it seemed most of the cries had finally died down somewhat, though he could still hear fussing. He did still have two bottles in his hands after all.

Even though the last two months had been rough with the sleepless nights and figuring out how to be parents again, it was nothing compared to the last couple months of pregnancy - for everyone. He had thought that one of the joys of being a grandparent was that he didn’t have to deal with the downsides of pregnancy from his children. That had proven wrong.

Not only did he have a wife pregnant with twins, but a daughter on her first pregnancy - also with twins - and a son dealing with his first pregnancy. He should have known that in his family, nothing would ever happen normally or quietly. And that they would always find ways to pull him and Iris into the middle of it.

If it wasn’t Daisy bursting in about some sort of argument with Wills, it was Jamie coming over with questions about Lila. Or even Wills freaking out about twins. And if they weren’t there about something, then Iris was moaning about her knees, back or bladder. Or refusing to cook until Oliver did more housework or something more to help out around the house. He had learned the first two times around to step up more during Iris’ pregnancies, but there was no hiding just where Daisy got her not-so-cheery disposition from.

“Oliver! Where are you?” a voice called down. Oliver shook his head, blinking slightly before he looked up the stairs. He could hear one of the babies start to fuss louder.

“Coming,” he called back. 

~~~

_Oliver Wood_  
_Oct. 3, 2029  
_ _Iris - 28 weeks_

“Alright, bring it in!” I shouted, keeping a stern look on my face as the team flew down from the air and landed in the center of the pitch, all of them waiting for me to join them there for the after-practice pep talk. Sighing, I made my way towards them, trying to shake off the fact that I was bone tired. 

To say that Iris kept me up most nights would be an understatement. She had just started her third trimester and was constantly uncomfortable with two babies growing bigger and more active inside her. She tossed and turned most of the time or was getting up to use the loo. As I was well attuned to her every move, this meant I was up as well. Either because I couldn’t sleep with her constant moving about or getting her tea or rubbing her back or feet or legs to help her feel more comfortable so she could fall asleep and then hopefully I could finally get some sleep.

From the looks I was getting on the field, it was starting to show. I was a bit slower and sluggish than usual.

“Right, so… chasers… Wills doing well, though Vane you need to tighten up on your left,” I said, launching into an abbreviated version of my normal speech. There was more than one look of shock when I told them to hit the showers a good 20 minutes faster than usual.

“Everything alright, Coach?” Jakes asked, an odd look still on her face. 

“I’m fine,” I said, starting to turn.

“Shut it,” I heard Wills whisper to her. “It’s probably the babies.”

“I’m fine,” I growled a bit louder, stopping to glare at my team. Wills just offered me a sympathetic look - Ashley mirroring him - while Jamie glanced nervously from the team to myself. 

“We understand, Coach,” Wills said. Rolling my eyes, I turned around and started towards my coaching staff.

“Hit the showers!” I shouted again, hoping that no one else would try to offer any niceties.

“How’s Iris doing?” Walker - one of the assistant coaches - asked as I walked up. I didn’t respond as I grabbed the clipboard from him and looked over his notes, jotting down a few things myself here and there.

“Fine,” I replied, not looking at him. “Get these to the trainers.” I then handed the clipboard back and made my way inside and sat behind my desk, sighing. I still needed to go over some new plays before I left, but honestly, I wanted to draw it out a bit, welcoming the silence and solitude. Sighing, I leaned back in my chair, propping my feet up on my desk. Surely a short nap wouldn’t hurt…

“COACH!”

I launched up out of my chair, nearly knocking it over and tumbling over myself as I looked around, my wand already out.

“Whasgoingon?” I shouted, looking around my office. A shocked Wills stood there, slowly backing up towards the open door.

“Sorry, Coach. Didn’t mean to wake you,” he said. Sighing, I walked over and sat back down, rubbing my face. 

“What do you want, Wills?” I asked, looking up at him.

“Thought you could use this,” he said, walking over with a bottle of something. “Pix fixed it up for me. Helps for those days when you’re operating on a little sleep.”

“I don’t need any potions,” I said quickly, frowning at him before looking at the bottle. 

“Just… take it. Just in case,” he said, placing it on my desk. I sat back in my chair and sighed again.

“Thanks, Wills,” I said, realizing that he was just trying to help. I was sure he wasn’t getting much sleep either - Pix was now 33 weeks pregnant with twins after all. I had begun to wonder just how it was he continued to show up at practice bright-eyed and bushy-tailed. It appeared that I now had my answer. “Pix made this?”

“She worked off an old recipe of Iris’,” he said, moving to sit in the chair across from me. “Now that Coach Nilsson has kicked her out of the gym, she’s got loads more free time. Been stocking up on various potions and salves and such. Getting the place ready.” I just stared at him a moment. “She’s constantly cleaning…”

I couldn’t help but chuckle. Iris had the same inclination with the triplets and Daisy, starting about this time. Spent a large amount of time cleaning up and preparing the nursery - think it was called nesting or something. 

“Suppose Iris’ll start up on that soon. Did the same thing with the others,” I replied, sitting up and leaning over the desk to take the bottle. 

“Works well enough. At least for me. Don’t think I’d get through the mornings without it,” he said. “Probably going to need them a lot more after the twins get here.”

“You two finally decide on names?” I asked. Wills sighed and shook his head.

“She’s still keen on waiting until they get here,” he replied. I nodded. That seemed like Pix, I supposed. “But you’ve got some lovely names picked out… Rose and David…” I chuckled.

“For some reason, names always came easily for us. With the triplets, we came up with them as soon as we found out it was all boys. Same with Pix,” I said. “Sure it comes to all of us at the right time. Will for you two as well.” He smiled briefly.

“Well… I should get home. Pix wants me to stop by the shops on my way,” he said, pushing up out of the chair. “Let me know how it works.” He nodded towards the bottle. 

“I will… thanks again,” I said. With one last smile, Wills turned and walked out of my office. I had to admit, he didn’t get on my nerves like he used to. I suppose in the years since he became involved with my daughter, he eventually grew on me. Though it took me a rather long time to mention it out loud to anyone. He would make a good addition to the coaching staff when the time came. Possibly someday having his own team. 

Sighing, I looked down at the bottle and then set it on the desk, looking over the many parchments scattered about. Best get to work and get home.

~~~

I walked into the living room with a tray of fruit and iced tea. Iris was sprawled out on the sofa, three fans suspended in the air around her fanning her. I wasn’t sure why. While winter had yet to take hold, it certainly wasn’t a warm day. But there she was, her legs propped up on the table and a grimace on her face as she shifted around, trying to get comfortable.

I remembered this from the triplets. Starting about the third trimester, she could never seem to get comfortable. That’s when the sleepless nights started up - she would spend the night shifting around and generally keeping me awake. There were also the aches and pains. While she didn't seem to complain as much as she had with the triplets, it was still a fair amount.

“Please tell me that’s food and tea,” she said with a huff, trying to push herself up into a sitting position. I quickly walked over and put the tray down, then moved to help her, putting pillows behind her. “Oliver, stop. You’re making it worse.” 

“But you keep complaining about your back,” I said, still fluffing pillows.

“It’s because I’m bloody carrying twins at the age of 57,” she griped, pushing me away. Sighing, I reached over and picked up her tea and handed it over. She leaned back and took a sip, sighing slightly as she looked over at the tray. “Do not tell me that’s banana.” I froze as I leaned over to pick it up, taking in her grimace.

“But you like banana,” I said.

“Get it away, it’s already making me sick,” she said, turning her head. Sighing, I straightened up and went back to the kitchen, carefully plucking the offending fruit off the plate and into the sink before turning around and taking it back to the living room. I immediately began shivering, noting that the temperature had dropped a few degrees in just the few moments I was gone. Red must have done some cooling charms.

“Merlin, Red,” I said, looking over at her. She had a look of bliss on her face. I felt like I had just walked into the South Pole.

“It was entirely too hot,” she said, smiling. I walked over and handed her the plate, which she then placed on her belly. I immediately went to the coat closet, pulling out a coat and putting it on as I walked back into the living room. Iris was now flipping through the channels, searching for something to watch. 

“What about-”

“We watched it last night,” Red said before I could finish. I frowned - still wasn’t much a fan of hers when she read my mind and wouldn’t let me reply. “And I’m not watching any sports tonight, either.” I bit my tongue and turned my attention to the TV as I leaned forward and picked up my glass of firewhiskey. Learned early on that it was best not to argue with her. Seemed lately she was on an even shorter fuse.

Just the other day I walked into the shop to find George sporting a tail. Turned out he had made a pregnancy joke that Iris hadn’t found that funny. Took him three hours of apologizing before she had finally agreed to reverse it. 

“How are Rose and David tonight?” I asked, glancing over at her belly.

“Better now that I’ve got some food,” Iris said with a sigh. “Though they’re likely to keep me up half the night. Always are a bit more active after I eat.” I started to reach out to touch her belly and she immediately smacked my hand away. “Can’t I eat in peace?”

“Of course,” I said, turning my attention to the TV. She had settled on some romantic comedy that I’m sure we had seen about 20 times, but I wasn’t about to say anything. Red was smiling and chuckling softly. Perhaps tonight we would manage to have a quiet night.

After some time, I could feel a chill starting to sneak through my coat, so I pulled my wand out and conjured up a pair of mittens and a hat that I quickly pulled on.

“Surely it’s not that cold,” Iris scoffed, looking over at me. She was dressed in a thin shirt and shorts. I snorted, but then quickly covered it up with a cough after Iris shot me a scowl.

“Nothing I can’t handle,” I replied, smiling at her. She returned her attention to the TV as I got up and headed to the kitchen, thinking hot tea would be better than whiskey. Especially if she was intending on keeping the living room at an icy temperature. I’d never get to sleep if she kept this up all night. I’d have to do a heating charm on my half of the bed much like I had done most of the summer.

I had just settled in and was relatively comfy when there was the opening and slamming of the front door.

“Merlin’s sake,” I muttered, starting to sit up. We both looked over as Daisy stormed into the living room, moving much faster than I thought possible in her current state. 

“Bloody, fucking Wills!” she shouted as she began pacing in front of the fireplace. Iris and I shared a look, wondering just what our son-in-law had done to set off Pix so much that she came here in a rage. Granted, I remembered the fight they had just before the wedding and how ridiculous that was. Now with Pix in full-on pregnancy hormones, it was likely not as serious as she made it out to be and didn’t take much to get her worked up. 

“What’s going on, Pix?” I asked. Daisy stopped pacing and looked over at me, an odd look on her face.

“What on earth are you doing in your winter gear?” she asked. 

“Not important, darling. What’s happening?” Iris asked soothingly. Daisy growled in frustration and continued pacing. 

“He’s gone and pissed me off, is what,” she replied. 

“Might help if you tell us what the argument was about,” I said, trying to infuse as much calm into my voice as possible. Daisy stopped pacing for a moment, just long enough to glare at me, her eyes flashing red. She then started up again.

“You certainly haven’t been helping - encouraging him to take on more responsibility with the team. Don’t think that I don’t know what you’re doing,” she said. I sat back, utterly confused. What was this about?

“Darling-”

“He wants to retire!” Daisy shouted, stopping in her pacing and glaring at me. I couldn’t speak. Seriously? Wills? The man who has insisted that he would keep playing quidditch until he was 50? That didn’t seem right.

“He’s said nothing like that to me,” I said. 

“Don’t think I’m not on to you!” Daisy shouted, taking a step towards me, pointing at me threateningly. “Trying to get him to retire so he can take care of the babies while I keep playing!” I just blinked. To be honest, it didn’t sound like a half-bad idea, though I most definitely hadn’t suggested it to him. And I was not about to take the blame for it nor mention at this moment that I thought it wasn’t a bad idea.

“I’ve done no such thing,” I replied, starting to get a little worked up. “As far as I’m concerned, Wills can bloody play until he’s in his 50s as long as he keeps his stats up.”

“No, I don’t believe it. You’ve put this nonsense into his head!” Daisy shouted, starting to pace again.

“Darling, please sit. All this isn’t good for the babies,” Iris said. 

“Don’t tell me what to do!” Daisy shouted back. I looked over at Iris.

_“You think that’s what he really said? That he wants to retire?”_ I thought towards her. Iris just shrugged and looked over at Daisy, likely wondering the same thing. While Pix always had a bit of a temper on her, being pregnant had only taken it up a notch. It was highly likely that he hadn’t said that completely.

“Dad! I need your help!” Jamie shouted as he burst into the living room. “Christ, why’s it so cold in here?” 

Sighing, Iris sat back on the sofa, rolling her eyes in the process.

“No, you have to wait your turn!” Daisy shouted, glaring at her brother. 

“What are you doing here?” he asked.

“Wills and Pix got into a fight,” I said wearily. It then sunk in what he had said as he ran in. I immediately sat up as I began to worry. “What’s wrong? Something with the baby?” 

“Lila’s run off to her father’s,” Jamie said, looking utterly lost. “We got into a bit of a fight and she took off…” 

I sighed and sat back on the sofa, shaking my head. What were the odds that both of my children would get into fights with their significant others in the same night? I looked over at Iris.

_“We should calm them down and send them on their way,”_ she thought. I nodded my agreement and looked back at the two of them. Daisy looked like she was seconds away from hexing someone while Jamie looked as though he were about to break down into pieces. Bloody hell. What happened to my nice quiet night at home?

“Alright, both of you relax” I said rationally. I set my sights on Pix. “First of all, calm down. If I know Wills, he’ll do anything to make you happy. But you two work best when you listen to each other. So clear your head. Go back home and talk to him. Listen. And try not to give him a tail or pig’s snout, for Merlin’s sake.”

“But-”

“No. You go home and work this out. You are an adult, Pix,” I said sternly. Her mouth dropped open at my admonishment. “We know your temper isn’t the best, especially lately.” I then looked over at Jamie and sighed. “It’ll be okay. She likely just had a bad day and needs to cool off. Let her stay the night with Marcus and then I’m sure the two of you will work out whatever it is that you’ve fought about. You always do.” 

“But what if she doesn’t listen to me this time?” Jamie asked, a hint of fear in his voice. I sighed and shook my head. 

“It’ll be fine,” I said wearily. “Sometimes you just need to blow off some steam, calm a bit, and then you can work things out. Pix, if you can’t calm down, then stay here and go back tomorrow. But whatever you do, get out of the bloody living room so we can have some peace and quiet.” 

Both of my children just stood and stared at me in shock for a bit. 

“You heard me! Go!” I said, this time a bit more forcefully. They glanced at each other and then back at us, before turning and walking out, Daisy casting dark looks over her shoulder at me, but didn’t say another word.

“That was… impressive,” Iris said, looking over at me. 

“At their age, you’d think they’d learn to sort their own problems by now,” I grumbled as I settled back on the sofa. Iris chuckled softly as she put her tea and plate aside on the coffee table and looked back over at me. 

“Really, Oliver. I haven’t seen you be that firm with anyone in a while,” she said, leaning towards me.

“Should drop by the pitch more often,” I replied wryly. I then looked over, seeing the look in her eye. “Red…”

“Come on, Oliver. It’s been ages,” she crooned. I couldn’t help as a chuckle left my lips.

“Isn’t this how we got into this situation to begin with?” I asked, raising my eyebrows at her. 

“Please, you’re not going to get me pregnant again right now,” she said, rolling her eyes. Sighing, I stood and turned, holding my hand out to her. 

“Come on, Red…”


	16. Altercations & Hormones

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Obviously, I don't own anything created by J.K. Rowling, but I do own the Wood kids and other OCs. Ah, and the story.
> 
> Setting: Next Generation (Post-Hogwarts - Mostly Original Characters)  
> Genre: Humor  
> Rating: M (Language)

_Daisy Wills  
_ _Oct. 3, 2029  
_ _33 weeks_

Grimacing slightly, I felt another ache start up in my back as I leaned over to more closely study the potion I was working on. Now that I had been banned from the stadium by Nilsson, I spent nearly every day at home doing whatever I could to prepare for the twins. This meant making up a large amount of various potions, salves, and ointments that either Wills or I might need in the coming months. I doubted that I’d be in any state to want to make them for some time after the twins arrived. Though how long was still up for debate.

I thought it wouldn’t be that long, but Wills and everyone else seemed to think it would be a long time.

When I wasn’t working on that, I was rearranging the nursery yet again or doing housework or shopping just because I needed to get out of the house. Wills kept telling me that I should rest more - it couldn’t be easy being on my feet all the time at my size - but to be honest, I was starting to go batty. Staying home every day was most definitely not a lot of fun, in my opinion. I now understood why Mum continued going into the Uncle George’s shop a few days a week even when she didn’t really need to. While I was looking forward to spending time home with the boys and would do so as long as I could, but ultimately, I knew that I’d be grateful to start getting back into the gym and on the pitch. 

I had even managed to wheedle down my options for nannies to about three candidates that I liked - let’s face it, even if I took the entire season off, I would need the help - though Wills and I needed to make a final decision. I was hoping to get that done next week so we would have time before the twins arrive to get comfortable with each other. Speaking of, I looked up at the clock and noticed that it was getting rather late and Wills still wasn’t home from practice. Even though the season had started up again, it was unlike Dad to keep them this late. And I didn’t recall him sending a note about a meeting or being late.

Huffing slightly, I grabbed a towel and wiped down my hands before padding out of the library, across the large hall and over to the den and then into the kitchen. I had worked through the normal supper hour, it seemed, and the twins were starting to let me know that they were not pleased by this. 

“Quiet down, you two. I’m getting supper on,” I said, frowning down at my stomach a moment as I felt them both start moving around before I could manage to get to the fridge. I then walked over and opened it up, trying to remember just what it was I had intended on making that night. I really should start writing these things down - I forgot more often than not nowadays.

My eyes fell on a package of meat and some vegetables. Pasta sounded good. Smiling, I waved my hand and walked over to the cabinet as the ingredients flew out of the fridge and started washing themselves in the sink. In no time, I had the pasta and sauce going, the aroma starting to fill the kitchen. I tasted it a bit and then added a bit more seasoning, before once again looking at the clock.

“Where the bloody hell is your father?” I muttered as I rubbed my belly.

“Pix, I’m home!” Wills announced brightly as he walked in through the kitchen door, grinning. His cheeks were a bit pink, which immediately made me suspect he had gone out for a pint or two with someone after practice. He walked over and kissed my cheek before bending down and kissing my belly several times. He then dropped his team bag on the floor and looked over at the stove. 

“Where were you?” I asked, crossing my arms in front of me. I was trying very hard not to let my temper get the best of me, though it was proving harder the bigger and more active the twins got. The more uncomfortable I was, the shorter the fuse I had. And I was in a sour mood more often than I cared to admit. I knew it wasn’t fair to Wills, so tried to ignore things when I could, but tonight was proving a bit hard, considering he hadn’t let me know that he’d be late.

“Had a meeting with Walker and Thomas. Just going over how much time off I’ll be taking before we put in for the approval with your dad and management,” he said, now leaning over the pan where the sauce was cooking.

“For three hours?” I asked, starting to tap my foot. 

“Mhmm. Lots to go over,” he said, dipping a spoon into the sauce and then bringing it to his lips. He then gagged slightly. “Blimey, Pix. You get enough cayenne pepper in there?” He finally turned around to face me, noting the look of annoyance.

“You couldn’t have owled?” I asked. He blinked a few times.

“I thought I had,” he said. He then started towards the island, quickly sifting through the post there, as if his note would magically appear. If he had sent it, it certainly wasn’t in that stack, I could definitely tell you that much.

“I’m fairly sure that I would remember receiving an owl about you being late,” I replied. Wills stopped and coughed, his eyes watering.

“Seriously, what did you put in there, Pix? It just keeps building,” he said, temporarily distracted.

“Just a few peppers,” I replied, waving my hand. “You spent three hours talking about paternity leave? Surely it didn’t need to take that long.” Wills started coughing again and ran to the fridge, pulling out a carton of milk and downing a good portion. “Merlin, it’s not that hot.”

“I think your taste buds are off, Pix. That another symptom I haven’t heard about?” he asked before taking another swig of milk. Huffing, I walked over and picked up a spoon, tasting the sauce. Didn’t seem to be nearly as hot as he was making it out to be. 

“I think you’re whining,” I replied, looking over at him. He had quickly turned to return the milk to the fridge, though was certainly taking his time with it. Almost as though he were avoiding looking at me. I narrowed my eyes as I started towards him. Something was fishy. “What did you really talk about tonight, Wills?” 

He turned to look at me, his eyes wide.

“What do you mean?” he asked. 

“Don’t play dumb, you’re hiding something. You know I’ll just look in your head and see it,” I replied. Wills cleared his throat and stepped over towards. 

“Now, Pix… this doesn’t mean anything,” he started as I continued to frown. I was starting to get a bit impatient with him and just went ahead and looked. My eyes widened as I took a step back away from him.

“You talked about retiring,” I said. “I thought… you didn’t want to retire…” Wills rolled his eyes.

“It’s not like that, Pix. Not right now-”

“But you did talk about it. More seriously than before,” I retorted. “And I thought we agreed you’d only take off half of November and December? That’s three and a half months with the season break” Wills sighed and ran his fingers through his hair.

“Look, Pix. We both know that I’m not going to be able to play until I’m 50. Especially not after we start having kids,” he started.

“What makes you think I’ll be ready to have more anytime soon?” I replied. “Unless you’re hoping I become a baby machine.”

“That’s not it at all, Pix, and you know it,” he said firmly. “But I do have to start thinking about retirement. It’s getting to that time-”

“No, it’s not. And I thought you and I would be discussing it before you said anything to management or the coaches. Was Dad in on this too?” I said.

“No! He wasn’t even there!” Wills exclaimed.

“But he has been having you run more practices lately,” I said. “Did he give you the idea?”

“Pix, would you just calm down and listen?” he begged.

“I’m perfectly calm!” I shouted, though I knew that I clearly was not. Bugger, I’d have to make this up to him later, but at the moment my temper was winning out. “I just don’t see why you have to bring your career to end just because I’m pregnant!” Wills rubbed his face and turned away from me.

“It’s like we’re talking in circles,” he muttered. 

I knew I was being a bit over dramatic, but this _was_ rather serious. I knew that Wills would eventually retire, but I hadn’t thought it would be this soon. Even though he was nearly 40, he didn’t look or act it at all, and I often forgot just how old he was. More than that, he loved playing quidditch. Why on earth would he want to quit? Just because of the babies? Surely not. 

A bit of guilt snuck in - this _was_ because of the babies. And me. I still had a rather long career ahead of me and all. Dad was insistent that I keep playing, as I did, myself. And I knew Wills supported me. But surely, he wasn’t giving up his career to stay home and take care of the children just so I could continue playing. We had talked about this loads and he _knew_ that I wanted him to continue playing as long as he wanted to. 

I stomped my foot and walked over to him.

“So help me, Wills, if you’re doing this for me or because you think I want you to, I will hex you,” I said, glaring up at him. 

“For crying out loud, I’m not retiring right this second!” he shouted. “Do we really need to get into this tonight?”

“It would appear we need to if you’re already talking about it with the staff!” I shouted. 

“I told you that it only came up in passing! It’s not like we were talking any set timeline!” he replied. “Seriously, Pix?! Can’t we leave this until tomorrow when you’re calm?” 

“You talked about it for three fucking hours, Wills!” I shouted in return. Wills huffed and shook his head. 

“I’m not arguing with you when you’re like this,” he said, starting towards the stairs. My eyes widened in shock. How dare he walk away from me in the middle of an argument? 

“We are not done!” I shouted, stomping after him.

“We are for now!” he retorted without looking back. “Besides, it’s not good for the babies!”

“I think I know what’s good for the babies!” I said. Wills just groaned in frustration, continuing on upstairs. I watched him go up them before turning around and going back into the kitchen, gripping the island. Then it hit me.

I knew whose fault this was. And he was about to get an earful from me. Pushing off, a scowl came over my face as I closed my eyes. 

I was going straight to Da.

~~~

_Jamie Wood_  
_Oct. 3, 2029  
_ _Lila - 33 weeks_

Sighing, I dropped my team bag in the foyer and glanced at the clock. I was home a bit later than I had intended to be, but Remus and Alan had talked me into going out with them after practice. It had been long time and they could tell I was starting to get a bit stressed out with the baby so close to arriving. I had told them one beer, but that had turned into three and now I was almost two hours later than usual.

At least I had managed to send Lila word that I would be late and where I was.

“Lila,” I called out as I made my way back to the kitchen and den.

“Here,” she called in return. I stepped into the room and saw her on the sofa with a book. “Dinner’s on the stove, if you want it. Needs to be reheated.” While her voice was calm, she didn’t look up at me when she spoke, which was my first hint that she was not particularly happy with me. 

“Thanks,” I said, hoping I didn’t sound nervous as I walked over and looked at the covered plate she had left out for me. Waving my hand, it instantly reheated. Picking up the plate, I turned and walked over to grab a fork before settling at the kitchen table. I glanced nervously over at Lila before I started eating, hoping that she wasn’t too pissed at me.

“How are Remus and Alan?” she asked, her eyes still fixed on the book.

“Good,” I replied in between bites. “Just wanted to get a few drinks before Marjorie comes.” She glanced up at me and then back at the book.

“I see,” she replied before turning a page. 

“How was your day?” I asked. 

“Forgot my purse again,” she said. “Then got taken off the mid-season feature.” I put my fork down and stood, walking over to the sofa. I wasn’t surprised - she was due in November which would make it impossible for her to do the story - but it was one of the biggest stories at the magazine and she had been doing it for a few years now. They typically only gave it to one of the strongest writers.

“I’m sorry, sweetheart. I know how much you enjoy that story,” I said, bending down and kissing the top of her head. She put the book down and looked up at me. 

“They gave it to Tony,” she said softly, her lip quivering. While Lila got on with all the blokes at the magazine, for some reason a rivalry had sprung up between the two. I didn’t blame her - he was a bit of a douche. I quickly walked around to the other side of the sofa, taking her in my arms.

“I’m sure he’ll be horrid at it,” I said soothingly as I rubbed her back. 

“I’m sorry, I’m not sure why I’m crying,” she said, sniffling. “Just… it’s been a day…”

“You mean there was more?” I asked, glancing down at her. 

“I spilt tea on Roger this morning. And then ripped my trousers bending over to clean it up. And I just could not get comfortable in my desk chair - even with the extra cushions - then the story assignment. I’ve been taken off most of the matches as well. Dad cancelled our lunch appointment. And, and, then you said you’d be late tonight,” she said in one long, quick sentence. She pushed me back slightly, looking up slightly. “Did you really need to meet Remus and Alan tonight?”

I just stared at her, unsure of how to answer. I knew she was in a mood and the best thing to do was to be supportive. Best not to say anything about meeting them to keep my own sanity.

“I’m, I’m so sorry, Lila. I shouldn’t have gone,” I said immediately. She just stared at me and burst into fresh tears.

“You don’t mean it!” she wailed as she dropped her face into her hands. My mouth dropped open as I looked around the room - not sure why, it’s not like I’d find anyone else in the townhouse to give me answers for how to handle this situation. I quickly thought to everything that Remus had told me, but the only thing I could remember was him telling me to be supportive. 

“I do,” I said, patting her back.

“Stop patronizing me, Jamie,” she snapped. I pulled my hand back. 

“I… I…” 

She shot off the sofa and started pacing in front of the coffee table.

“I _needed_ you tonight and you weren’t here. You’re _never_ here! What if I had gone into early labor or there was a problem with the baby!” she shouted, glaring at me. I just sat with my open, unsure of just where this was coming from. “You’re always running off to your brothers or staying because your father asked you to - you don’t _have_ to stay late every practice, you know.”

“I didn’t realize that I had been staying late that often,” I said. She stopped pacing and planted her hands on her hips.

“Four times a week, Jamie. I’ve been keeping track!” she snapped. I shut my mouth at that. I hadn’t even realized it was that much. Granted the season had started up just a month ago and I suppose it was likely true. I hadn’t kept up with my training as hard over the summer, trying to be more available to helping her out. I had been playing a bit of catch-up…

“I’m-”

“Don’t even start in on anything about the season or your upcoming matches. I don’t want to hear about it right now, Jamie! I’m 33 weeks pregnant, my ankles are constantly swollen. My back hurts. I have to take a piss every five minutes. I’m the only bloody woman that works in the magazine and NO ONE can there can talk to me about this! I’m fat and miserable half the time. AND! I haven’t seen my feet in WEEKS!” she shouted, now breathing heavily.

Of course, my only response would be to sit there, blinking. Merlin, what the hell did I say to calm her down now? I had tried to be supportive earlier and that didn’t work.

“I’m so sorry, Lila. I… I should have been more attentive,” I said, rising off the sofa and moving towards her. “You’re right, I’ve let quidditch get in the way.” She just stared at me. “And… as for talking to someone who understands it, you know that Pix is always home now. I’m sure you could-”

“The _last_ person I want to talk to is your goddamn, bloody sister!” she shouted, causing me to snap my mouth shot. Bloody hell, I had just said the absolute wrong thing again. “Everyone in this damn family wants to check on Daisy - WHY IS NO ONE CHECKING ON ME!?”

Mum had dropped off some things just the other day and I knew for a fact that Bridget and Laura made a point to come by a couple times a week. However, now did not seem like the right time to bring this up.

“I-”

“No. Don’t,” she said, putting her hand up. “I don’t want to hear it.” She started walking out of the room. 

“Lila, where are you going?” I asked, starting to follow her.

“My father’s,” she shouted as she continued down the hallway towards the stairs.

“Lila, don’t go. I’m sorry! I’m here now! And you know that I’m devoted to you and Marjorie!” I shouted. Lila stopped just after she had started up the stairs and glare down at me. 

“Too late, Jamie Frederick Wood,” she said, before continuing on up the stairs. I just stopped, looking down at the floor. How the hell did that just happen? I looked up the stairs and then turned, walking back to the kitchen. There was nothing in the books about an angry, slightly irrational pregnant wife. 

I sat down at the table, looking down at my uneaten supper. I suddenly wasn’t hungry anymore as I wrought my brain for something to fix this mess. Surely it wasn’t that hard to figure out. I then sat up as I got a thought. I knew exactly who would know what to do. He had got through this twice before and the stories about Mum going mental were a thing of legend in the family. 

If anyone knew what to do in this situation, it would be Dad.


	17. False Alarms

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Obviously, I don't own anything created by J.K. Rowling, but I do own the Wood kids and other OCs. Ah, and the story.
> 
> Setting: Next Generation (Post-Hogwarts - Mostly Original Characters)  
> Genre: Humor  
> Rating: M (Language)

Oliver had finally made it up to the third floor playroom and looked over, seeing Daisy and Wills in the rocking chairs, both the babes with bottles in their mouths. He couldn’t help but smile despite his tiredness as he walked over to them. Daisy looked up, an eyebrow raised as she smiled slightly.

“Shouldn’t you be gettin’ those into Mum and the twins?” she asked. There was more fussing from the other room and he looked over his shoulder and sighed. It was true, but he couldn’t help but stop and take a moment to check on his grandchildren. He stepped closer, drinking in the sight of his grandsons who were contently sucking on their bottles. Though they were a few months old, he couldn’t help but think them tiny still. Granted he thought that about every grandchild and even his own children. Despite their massive size now, the triplets had been on the small size when they were born.

But all that mattered was that they were here and safe. Perfectly healthy in every way. Despite the several scares that every single one of them had given him on the way to their arrival - Jamie and Lila’s included. Oliver should have known that his twin grandsons were going to arrive exactly when they intended and in exactly the way they wanted - much like their mother. Pix always arrived at places in her own time and fashion. Had done so as a babe as well.

“I know… hard to believe they’re here,” Daisy said softly, as she gazed down at the baby in her arms lovingly. “You certainly gave Grandad Oliver several scares and near heart attacks. You and your cousin and your aunt and uncle.”

“Did not,” Oliver retorted. Wills chuckled as Daisy smiled up at him. “Gave you lot a load of them as well.” Daisy snorted.

“Not me,” she said. “Though definitely Wills.”

“I thought I handled it well,” he said, frowning at her.

“You and Jamie were ridiculous,” Daisy said, still looking at him. “How many times did you cart me off to St. Mungo’s thinking I had gone into labor? Would have been more if I hadn’t talked sense into you.”

“I’m not the only guilty party. You and Lila were rather ridiculous with your mood swings,” he retorted. “You hexed me twice and refused to change me back until I apologized.” 

“You deserved it one of those times,” Daisy replied softly as she looked back down at her son. Oliver couldn’t help but snort at the couple.

“You knew what you were getting into when you married her,” Oliver said, chuckling. Wills sighed and nodded.

“Suppose I did,” he said. “And I did promise through sickness and in health - suppose that should include fights and pregnancy hormones.” Daisy just shook her head as she looked back down at the baby. “Though certainly seems worth it all now.”

“I was expecting at least one false alarm among you… but was not expecting nearly that many,” Oliver said with a sigh. “Though I likely should have.” 

“As I said - wasn’t me you should blame for that,” Daisy said. “I knew most of them weren’t the real thing. And he would have dragged us in for every kick there at the end if I hadn’t stopped him.” Wills frowned at her slightly as Oliver laughed and opened his mouth to speak.

“OLIVER!” 

He jumped slightly and looked over his shoulder.

“I’d get those in there before Mum attempts to throw something at you,” Daisy said. Oliver nodded and turned, starting to shuffle towards the bedroom as he thought back to that last month or so before all the babies were born. 

It was a miracle any of them survived.

~~~

_Oliver Wood  
_ _Oct. 17, 2029_  
_Iris - 30 weeks  
_ _Daisy & Lila - 35 weeks_

“COACH!” 

I snapped awake just as my grip slipped on my broom. While I caught myself before I fell off and down about 20 feet, I still fumbled a bit to get control and bobbed up and down a bit. I heard chuckling and immediately began glaring at the team gathered around me in the air.

Jakes and Vane immediately cleared their faces as they straightened up on their brooms, while Remus and Alan continued to chuckle. Ashley, Wills and Jamie just sent me sympathetic looks. Wills didn’t look any more awake than I felt, rubbing his face for probably the 30th time in the last 15 minutes. I cleared my throat and struggled to remember what I had been saying just before I had somehow fallen asleep on my broom. It wasn’t a pep talk - those were done on the ground after practice. Must have been commenting on the last play they had gone through. 

Which one was it? And what the bloody hell had I been saying?

“You were talking about the new play,” Wills offered. I nodded.

“Right… ehm… let’s run through it one more time,” I said. Vane groaned. “Do it or do laps!” 

They all flew off as I flew down to the ground. While I normally preferred a bird’s eye view for watching new plays, I felt that it was better to have both feet on the ground after nearly falling asleep in the air. I leaned against my broomstick as Walker came up to my side. 

“Rough night?” he asked. I sighed and nodded.

“Pix had another false alarm. We ran off to St. Mungo’s about 1 am,” I said, watching as Jakes passed to Vane. Vane then passed to Wills and I watched as the quaffle slid through his fingers, though he quickly flew down and grabbed it before shouting at the group to start over again. I just sighed and rubbed my face, too tired to get on to him. While he had missed several quaffles that day, I knew he had even less sleep than I did, so couldn’t fault him that. The poor bloke deserved a break. To be honest, I wasn’t even sure why Wills was even at practice. He should just start his paternity leave early at the rate he and Daisy were going with the false alarms.

“We were there about an hour or two or before the healers sent us all home,” I finished. Walker started chuckling next to me. 

“You must be tired,” he said. I just frowned at him.

“Two. Walker. Not the first false alarm. The second one,” I retorted. “And both of them had to be in the middle of the bloody night.” 

“Was it the fake contractions?” he asked. "What do they call it?”

“Braxton Hicks. And this time? No. Indigestion,” I said with a sigh. “Merlin, even Red didn’t have any false alarms with any of them.”

“Suspect Wills had more to do with going into St. Mungo’s than Pix,” Walker said. “Fairly sure she probably knew it wasn’t the real thing and he insisted they go in - just in case.” I looked back up at the sky watching as Wills made the next catch and launched the quaffle towards the hoops, Jamie quickly caught it and tossed it to Jakes.

“AGAIN!” I shouted, frowning. He may be tired, but I still expected him to somewhat keep up his standard. “She was none too thrilled last night, though. I’d say you’re right in that assessment. Though she was fairly certain it was for real the first time around.”

“Just why are they pulling you in during the middle of the night? Thought you were just supposed to show up after it was all done?” Walker asked as he looked over at me. I sighed again and leaned a bit heavier on my broom.

One would think that. But Iris and I had promised all of them that we’d be there for each and every grandchild, starting with Gavin. We were there for the entire time that Laura was in labor, even though we were relegated to pacing around in the waiting room. Laura’s mum and Remus were the only ones allowed in the delivery room, though I understood why. We were a large family and it could get quite crowded.

Though Daisy had already insisted she wanted her mum in with her the entire time. And Iris had promised Lila that she’d be there for her since she had pretty much stepped in as her mother. Merlin, I hoped Lila didn’t have any false alarms, otherwise I’d become the walking dead by the time the bairns finally arrived. 

“I could have handled practice today. Still can if you want to head off home and rest,” Walker said.

“Can’t. I’m the coach,” I said immediately.

“And you’ve got your own pregnant wife at home to look after as well as the grandkids on the way,” Walker continued. “Need to keep up your strength. Those wee ones aren’t going to take care of themselves.”

“Iris is fine. She was already passed out when I left for practice this morning,” I said, squinting slightly as I tried to follow Jakes. Either she was getting faster or I was so tired I was having a hard time following her. Maybe Walker was right. “She’ll likely spend the day napping. Though Fleur is supposed to stop by and check on her. Then I think the two of them were going to check in on Pix.” 

I tried to stifle a yawn but found I couldn’t. I could see Walker shaking his head out of the corner of my eye, smirking. 

“JUST WHAT IN THE BLAZES ARE YOU DOIN’, WILLS!” I shouted, suddenly seeing the chaser careening towards the pitch mid-play. I may have forgotten bits of it at the moment, but I knew that was not part of it. I started looking around for my playbook, wondering just what it was he was meant to be doing.

“I think this is somethin’ else, Wood,” Walker said, causing me to look up and take in Wills’ face as he started sprinting across the field towards us.

“Blimey! Is it Pix?” I shouted at him, suddenly feeling rather awake. He bent over, grasping his knees as he breathed heavily and looked up at me. He nodded, his grin goofier than usual. 

“She says it’s the real thing this time,” he said once he caught his breath a bit. Jamie, Remus and Alan had just landed behind him, the three of them rushing over. Thank Merlin for Pix’s connection. Made communicating so much easier.

“The rest of you, hit the gym,” I said. Despite my earlier exhaustion, I couldn’t help as a loopy grin came over my face. “I’m off to meet my grandsons!” Vane let out a whoop as he, Ashley and Jakes landed as well.

“Forget that, Coach. We’re comin’ too,” Ashley said grinning. “You think we’d miss Pix’s first?” I just chuckled. 

“Come on, then…”

~~~

As soon as we got back to the farmhouse, I trudged into the living room and collapsed face-first on the sofa. At least the healers figured out Pix wasn’t actually in labor much faster this time. I didn’t have the energy to head back to the pitch, so gave the team the rest of the afternoon off, despite having a match that weekend. I knew Wills needed it as well as myself.

“You’d think by now she’d know the difference,” Iris said as she waddled across the room and sat in a large, oversized armchair, propping her feet up on an ottoman. I lifted my head long enough to peer over at her blearily. She kicked off her shoes and sat up, reaching for her feet. Upon realizing that there was no way she was going to reach them, she gave up and fell back into the chair with a sigh. “All this running off to hospital is going to be the death of me.”

“Perhaps next time I should go first. Send word if it’s for real and then you can come along after,” I said. Iris looked over at me and smiled before she yawned. 

“That sounds decent,” she replied. She groaned slightly and started rubbing her belly. Immediately I was on my feet, dashing over to her.

“Everything alright, Red,” I asked, dropping to my knees next to her.

“Yes, they’ve just decided they want to play,” she said with a slight roll of her eyes, though there was a soft smile on her face. “Just when I was hoping to get a nap.” 

I reached down and placed my hands on her belly, feeling them kick and move around.

“Likely getting crowded in there,” I said, glancing up at her. She nodded.

“Certainly hope we don’t have any false alarms. Got a good track record so far,” she replied. I leaned my head down.

“Hello, in there. It’s your Da,” I said softly. I felt a soft kick in response. “Ah good, you already recognize me.” Iris chuckled.

“Course they do. You only talk to them several times a day,” she said. “You did with all of them.”

“Can’t help it. Just want to make sure they know who I am when they get here,” I scoffed. Iris just laughed again as she reached out and put her hand on mine.

“I know,” she said, patting it. She shifted around in her chair, trying to get more comfortable. I moved over and reached for her feet, starting to massage them. “Oh, that’s heavenly.” 

“Want some tea?” I asked. Iris nodded.

“Though don’t stop,” she said as she waved her hand towards the kitchen and I heard the stove come to life. “I can take care of that, at least.”

“You think we’ll get a full night’s sleep tonight?” I asked as I kept massaging her feet. She sighed. 

“Certainly hope so. But between Daisy and these two, not likely,” she said. “You should take tomorrow off as well.”

“Can’t. We’ve got a match this weekend,” I said, though even I heard the reservation in my own voice. Merlin, I wished I didn’t have to go in tomorrow.

“At least Fleur said she’d bring by dinner tonight so we don’t have to worry about that,” she said. “Felt bad that we had to go into hospital again.” 

“Small miracles,” I said, barely covering a yawn. “What time she coming around?”

“Said she’d stop by around 5, I think,” Iris said. “Wanted to drop it off and chat before Bill got off work.”

“Should just invite the both of them over for supper. Since she’s cooking and all. Save her the dishes,” I said. Iris thought it over and nodded.

“Might not be such a bad idea. Been ages since we’ve had them around,” she said. “I wouldn’t mind it. We need some fun. Once the twins are here, it’ll be awhile before we can have anything like lives.” 

“Don’t remind me,” I replied, with a roll of my eyes. “My mother and Gran Weasley are still insisting they come help.” Iris chuckled.

“We’ll need it. Did you forget that bit?” she asked. I just frowned at her.

“We can handle in on our own by now, surely,” I scoffed. Iris just stared at me. “Er, well… at least couldn’t it be Fleur or Audrey? Or Angelina? I’d even take Ginny or Hermione.” Iris just laughed.

“Doubt Hermione or Ginny have the time,” she said. “Or Audrey. Or Angelina. Though Fleur has said she wants to help out.” I brightened up.

“That’s better. At least better than either of our mothers,” I said. 

“They aren’t that bad. And they both helped with the triplets and with Daisy,” Iris replied. I nodded. She was right. We would need the help. Despite the fact we had done this before, we were much older than we had been in the past. While part of me was so sure that it would all come back to us easily, another part was a bit worried.

And not looking forward to the nights of being woken up at all times by cries for bottles or dirty nappies. Thank Merlin they were due in December. Just a few weeks of dealing with the twins and practice, then I had all break to adjust before going back to work. I sighed and yawned again. 

“Take a nap, Oliver. My feet are fine for now,” Iris ordered. 

“You sure?” I asked. She nodded. 

“I’ll just have a cup of tea and likely nod off myself,” she said. “And we do need to try and keep up our energy. I know Daisy and Lila still have five more weeks, but if the last week is anything to go by, the babies could come at any time.”

“And then another 10 weeks for us,” I said, pushing up from the ground and moving towards the sofa. “Ehm, well… could be. The triplets were early, though Pix was late.” 

Iris sighed as she looked down at her belly and rubbed it again.

“No telling when these two will try to come. At least we’ve got everything ready,” she said, looking over at me. I collapsed on the sofa again and stretched while yawning. 

“Tis good,” I said, blinking slowly as I felt my eyelids getting heavier. “I’ll just… let me know if you… need anything.” Merlin, I was tired…

“Sleep, Oliver.”

“Mmm…”


	18. Everything Is Fine

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Obviously, I don't own anything created by J.K. Rowling, but I do own the Wood kids and other OCs. Ah, and the story.
> 
> Setting: Next Generation (Post-Hogwarts - Mostly Original Characters)  
> Genre: Humor  
> Rating: M (Language)

_Daisy Wills  
_ _Oct. 17, 2029  
_ _35 weeks_

I sighed as I rubbed my belly and tried to see my feet propped up on the coffee table. I couldn’t. I could not wait to see my feet again, though I was certain at this moment that I’d be happy not to see them, they were so swollen. This was annoying. If I wasn’t wearing slip-ons, Wills had to help me get into my shoes every day. That is if he let me out of the house. Thinking of my husband, I glanced up to the balcony outside our room where he was sleeping soundly. After all the excitement of last night and this afternoon, I probably should have been sleeping as well. But the twins were moving around something fierce and I couldn’t settle down. So instead I was sitting in the living room with my cousins.

“Three? Honestly?” Lucy said, chuckling, as she walked into the living room with a mug of tea for me. She handed it over and then sat next to me on the sofa while reaching for a glass of wine. She, Molly and Dom had been here since we got back from hospital this afternoon, though Victoire had only come over after her shift ended. They were on their second bottle of wine and the laughter had gotten louder, though none of us were too concerned with waking Wills. 

While they had said they were over for a long overdue girls’ night, I was fairly sure Dom and Lucy wanted to see another false alarm in person. I highly suspected there were bets going around after the second one. 

“Not fully my fault,” I said before sipping my tea. Lucy snorted as Dom and Molly laughed and Victoire just smiled. “Seriously! I knew the second time it wasn’t labor! I even told him it wasn’t! But you know how Wills is.”

“I’m surprised he’s not down here, waiting on you hand and foot,” Dom said, glancing towards the balcony. I rolled my eyes - it had gotten to an excruciatingly annoying level which they were all fully aware of. Just today he was insisting that he go on leave now, just so he could be around for when the time actually came. 

He was bad enough only being around in the evenings and mornings. I’m not sure either of us would survive 24/7 of Wills hovering about me, misconstruing every ache or bout of gas or indigestion as labor pains. 

“I may have slipped something in his tea when we got back,” I said lightly, looking down at my mug.

“Daisy!” Lucy shouted, though she was grinning. “What if you do go into labor for real and he’s zonked out?” I just shrugged.

“It’ll be fine. I’m not going into labor tonight,” I said. “And worst case, we just shove a vial of antidote in his mouth and he’ll pop right up. Or that energizing potion of Mum’s that I’ve improved.” Victoire just chuckled.

“I understand wanting him out of the way for a bit. Teddy was the worst with both Adelaide and Marcelle,” she said with a slight roll of her eyes. “He took off from work for the last three weeks I was pregnant with both of them, worried he’d be on a mission when the time came. I honestly thought I’d kill him by the end of it.”

“Paul wasn’t nearly that bad,” Dom said, smirking slightly. “Very collected when it came time.” I started laughing as Molly, Lucy and Victoire shot her jealous frowns.

“He may have been calm around you, but he was a right good mess with the team,” I said. “Sending millions of owls out just to check on you. Think he had a breakdown nearly every day towards the end, moaning about ‘How am I supposed to be a father?’” 

“At least it was owls and not hovering about under my feet,” she replied. “And I didn’t know about the breakdowns…”

“Face it, every man has at least one breakdown before he becomes a father,” Victoire. “Or in Teddy’s case - about four that I can think of…” Molly started laughing loudly.

“I remember one of those - it was at the office. Course, then Dom had to go into labor while working. Really thought Teddy was going to lose it that day. I found it surprising - he’s always rather calm at work,” she said. 

“Oh, yes, how could we forget that debacle,” Victoire said, looking over at her younger sister.

“Wasn’t that bad,” Dominique said. “And what else was I meant to do? I was a week late and I wanted the bugger out. Thought going into work - I _was_ on desk duty, mind you - might at the very least get my mind off it,” she said, acting as though it wasn’t nearly as dramatic as the rest were making it out to be. And I suppose she was right to an extent. Dom was certainly rather calm about it all, despite being the one who’s waters broke in the middle of the auror department.

From what I could remember about the story, Teddy had ran in circles, screaming like a banshee for a good few minutes before Chris slapped sense into him. Their entire team had then escorted Dom to the floos and further on to St. Mungo’s. She was only in labor about eight hours before little Derek arrived - guess having been a week late, he decided he wanted out then and there. 

“You know there are other ways besides working to induce labor,” Lucy said. Dominique glanced at her.

“I know, but that wasn’t working either,” she said with a sigh.

“Let’s hope you’re not late,” Molly said, looking over at my rather large belly. 

“You and me both,” I replied shifting around again. I could never seem to stay comfortable for long. 

“And that you’re better than Luce. Though judging from how you’ve handled the false calls, I’d say you’re already leaps and bounds better,” she continued, smirking at her sister.

“I was not that bad,” Lucy scoffed. 

“You were worse than your wedding,” I said with a short laugh, though I suppose I could understand. Everything I had heard and read up to now told me labor was not a picnic. Not to mention, the stories of Mum having the triplets and me were now family legends. Blimey, I hoped I didn’t have it that bad. “Not only did you manage to nearly take Kelly’s head off - both times - with a pitcher. You nearly ripped my own head of.”

“That was just a particularly bad contraction,” Lucy said, sticking her nose in the air slightly as her cheeks turned red. We all laughed at that. By that standard, they were all particularly bad contractions. The healers slipped her extra doses of pain potion just so they could get close enough to exam her without losing a limb. 

“I can tell you now, Liam and I are waiting a few years before having another,” Molly said. “As much as I love Caleb, I am not ready to go through all that pain again.” 

“Is it really that bad?” I asked, looking over at her, a pinched look on my face. While I was still very much Pixie Fucking Wood, the thought of pushing two tiny humans out of my body - especially after all the stories - was starting to terrify me slightly. As badly as I wanted them out, I was not looking forward to the process of getting them out. 

“You could always schedule a cesarean,” Victoire said soothingly. “Perfectly safe and less pain for you.” 

“But then it’s a longer recovery time,” Molly pointed out. “And the scar.” 

“And we all know how quickly Daisy wants back on the pitch,” Lucy said. My cousins then launched into a long debate about the pros and cons of a c-section as I looked down at my belly, starting to rub it again. I was terrified of giving birth, yes. Though I wasn’t sure I wanted to do surgery either. And then there was everything after that. Raising two little boys for the next 18 years - more after that, if Wills had his way. Well, and my way, I guess. I did want more children as well, though at the moment I was with Molly - we were waiting a few more years. 

Life would be much more complicated once the little ones were here. Life would be all about them - not just quidditch and our marriage. While I knew I wanted this, a small part of me couldn’t help but mourn the life I had previously. Now it wasn’t just winning the finals, playing in the World Cup, dominating the quidditch world. It was about making sure these two little ones were safe and sound. And became functioning adults.

Bloody hell, could Wills and I do this?

“Oh, Daisy. We didn’t mean to scare you,” Lucy said soothingly as she leaned towards me. I looked up at her, surprised. I hadn’t realized I started crying.

“Oh, this? I’m fine,” I said quickly, brushing at my cheeks. “Hormones, you know.” I glanced around the room, noticing they all wore the same soft expression. 

“It’s okay to be scared. Bloody hell, we were all terrified before giving birth,” Dominique said. 

“You weren’t,” I replied glumly. 

“Oh, I was. Just ask Paul,” she said with a laugh. “For all his so-called breakdowns in the locker room, he was the one keeping me sane at home.” I chuckled.

“Probably why he chose to have them in the locker room,” I replied.

“You will be an amazing mother, Daisy. And Wills will be an amazing father,” Molly said, patting my arm. “It seems like a lot now - and there will be moments after they’re here when you feel like you’re going mental - but it’ll all come together.”

“But, but… why do I feel so unprepared?” I said, feeling the tears start to well up more. Victoire chuckled.

“No amount of classes or reading or talking to other mums will fully prepare you, Daisy,” she said. “Even having one doesn’t fully prepare you for having the next one. You honestly learn as you go.” I glanced around the room.

“Really?” I asked, hating how small my voice sounded.

“Definitely,” Lucy said as Dominique and Molly nodded.

“Besides, you’ve got all us. We’ll help out when we can. And you can always talk to us,” Dominique said. I sniffed and nodded.

“I don’t know what I’d do without you lot,” I said as more tears poured out. Lucy leaned over and hugged me tightly.

“It’ll be alright, Pix,” she said. I chuckled as I wiped my face. She let go of me and stood up, grabbed the bottle and went around refilling all their glasses. “Now, to the important part… who are you naming godparents…”

~~~

_Jamie Wood_  
_Oct. 20, 2029  
_ _Lila - 36 weeks_

I smiled as I walked over to the den and handed Lila a mug of tea before settling on the sofa and pulling her feet into my lap. She smiled as she brought the mug to her lips and inhaled. I was slightly exhausted - we had just beaten the Magpies in a five-hour match - but I was determined to put that aside and focus solely on my wife. 

Since the night she ran off to her father’s after the fight, I had made sure that I was 200 percent devoted to her every need so that she never felt overlooked and was completely supported in everything. No more late practices - I had started going in earlier in the mornings. I told Remus and Alan if they wanted to hang out, we’d do it at the town house. I had even started cooking dinner every night, which had shocked the hell out of Lila. Though she had expressed her appreciation. Getting around the kitchen had gotten a bit harder the larger she got.

Things had settled down with us, though Pix was certainly keeping everyone on their toes with now three false alarms. Granted I had started watching Lila even more closely. We did still have four more weeks until her due date, and I knew it was common for the first to come late, but I couldn’t help but feel antsy. It really could be any time now.

“Relax, Jamie. I am not having Marjorie tonight,” Lila said, accurately guessing what was on my mind. “And I will tell you when it’s real.”

“But… what if you think it’s not it and it is?” I asked, a hint of fear in my voice. She only chuckled.

“Then you orb us to St. Mungo’s and we get there with plenty of time,” she replied. “It is not like I have a pain and the next second the baby is coming out. It does take time.”

“I know…” I said, frowning slightly. “But you never know.”

“My mother was in labor for over a day with me,” she said. “Even your own mother was in hospital for quite a while for you and your sister. Trust me… we will have plenty of time.” I nodded as I looked towards the fireplace. “And you could have gone to the after party. You did win today.”

“Thought it more important that I be here with you,” I said, looking back at her.

“I suspect Wills and Daisy are not there as well,” she said. I chuckled.

“No, they aren’t,” I said.

“Daisy was not even at the game,” Lila said. I nodded. From what Wills said, it was harder for her to get around, though she had wanted to come. It hadn’t taken much to convince her to stay home - but I couldn’t help but think it would have been fitting for Pix to go into labor at a quidditch match. “Was not the same without her commentary.” I snorted.

“You mean Pix yelling like a banshee?” I asked, smirking. Lila chuckled. 

“I always found it entertaining,” she said. 

“She’s probably a bit rundown from all the trips to St. Mungo’s,” I said, reclining slightly as I began to massage her feet and legs. “Surprised Wills pulled off as good a performance as he did today. I know he’s barely been sleeping - thinks Pix is going to have them any second now.” Lila chuckled.

“I know why that is. Daisy has been slipping him sleeping draughts at night so that he will leave her alone and get some rest,” she said. I frowned.

“But what if she goes into labor for real?” I asked. Lila just shrugged.

“Seems to think it’s better to have a rested Wills than an exhausted one,” she replied. She then looked to her belly and began rubbing it. “At least our little one has not been playing tricks on us.” I chuckled as I stopped massaging her feet for a moment to rub her belly.

“I am grateful for that,” I said. “Dad’s been looking rough as well the last week from rushing off every time Wills owls.” Lila chuckled. 

“Papa’s been checking in on me every day. Usually meets me for lunch,” she said. “I can tell he’s getting anxious. Asked if he should move in already.” 

I smiled at the thought. This was Marcus Flint’s first grandchild and he was practically giddy about it. Half the toys and clothes in the nursery were from him, it seemed. And he was over at the house more than he wasn’t. I was actually surprised that he wasn’t here now. I was surprised he hadn’t just shown up with a bag, rather than ask first. 

“I can tell you one thing, when Marjorie decides to get here, she will be spoiled rotten,” I said, looking at Lila. “Though my parents will be splitting up their time, your father will be smothering her to bits enough for all of them.” Lila laughed.

“Our house will likely be a revolving door with all your family, and then Papa, Maisie and her family,” Lila said. I was happy to see that she had lost her doubts about how loved by my family she and Marjorie would be. While we were mostly talking about Pix and all her false alarms at the moment, they still thought of Lila. I had seen several owls from Mum and my cousins every day the last few weeks. And it helped that Bridget and Laura still dropped by often - Laura with her mum advice and Bridget with her medical skills making sure Lila was doing well. 

Lila then winced slightly as her hand went to her stomach. I sat up. This wasn’t normal.

“Everything alright?” I asked, immediately worried.

“I’m fine,” she said, rubbing her stomach. “Just that one was a bit stronger.”

“That one?” I asked. “You’ve had other pains?” Lila shook her head.

“Just off and on a bit the last couple of hours. I am sure it is Braxton Hicks,” she said. I just stared at her. “Relax, Jamie. I would know if it were real.”

“But shouldn’t we check? Just in case?” I asked, already starting to get on my feet. Christ, this was happening. Marjorie was coming tonight, and we didn’t even have Lila’s bag for hospital packed. Granted that would only take a few seconds.

“Sit down. It’s not labor,” she said, her voice firm. 

“No, I think I should get your things ready,” I said, now standing and preparing to pop upstairs. My heart was already racing. This was happening.

“Jamie!” 

But it was too late. I was already standing in our bedroom, looking around frantically. Bloody hell, where did we keep the luggage again? Right. Closet. I strode over and grabbed the first one and then put it on the bed, then whirling around to our dresser. With a wave of my hand, the room came to life as various items zoomed around and into the suitcase.

Okay, think Jamie. What all did we need? Nightclothes. Yes. Clothes to come home in. Okay. We needed baby things too. Yes. I rushed down the hall to the nursery and burst in. 

“JAMIE! COME BACK DOWN! IT’S NOT TIME!” I could hear Lila shout, but I ignored her as I frantically looked through the drawers and closet. 

What the hell? We hadn’t decided on what Marjorie would wear home from the hospital. What if I chose wrong? I didn’t have time to debate, though. We needed to get to St. Mungo’s. Why hadn’t I thought to pack everything before now? She was 35 weeks pregnant. We should have done this already. 

Grabbing at the first blanket and bit of clothes that I saw, I rushed back to the bedroom and tossed them into the bag as the last of Lila’s things settled. I then shut the suitcase and picked it up, popping back in the den. 

“Okay, I’ve got the bag ready, I think. Whatever I missed, we can just send for it later,” I said, striding toward the sofa to help Lila up.

“Do you think we’ll be there for a month?” she asked, her eyes wide as she took in the large bag in my hand. 

“You never know. Now, let’s get going. How far apart are they?” I asked. Lila rolled her eyes.

“An hour,” she stated flatly. I stopped. Okay, that’s a lot.

“Oh,” I said, dropping the suitcase. Lila chuckled.

“I told you. It’s just a pain here and there. Irregular. Far apart. I’m sure they will stop in a bit,” she replied. “Sit.” I started to sit. “Er, well. Perhaps we should go through the suitcase. I do not think we will need it tonight but should probably get that ready.” I looked back over at the bag and then grabbed it and brought it over as she sat up. I put it on the coffee table and opened it. Immediately, Lila started laughing.

“Oh, Jamie. I love you. But I think I should do this,” she said, glancing at me. I frowned.

“Though I should pack everything just in case,” I replied.

“I do not need a swimsuit,” she said. 

“Oh. Ehm. I kind of rushed it, so some things might have gotten mixed up,” I said, running my hand up the back of my neck. Lila continued laughing as she looked back at the suitcase and started pulling things out and putting them in a pile on the floor. 

“Do not worry… we will get this right…”


	19. The Real Deal

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Obviously, I don't own anything created by J.K. Rowling, but I do own the Wood kids and other OCs. Ah, and the story.
> 
> Setting: Next Generation (Post-Hogwarts - Mostly Original Characters)  
> Genre: Humor  
> Rating: M (Language)

Oliver looked through the open door to the extension, seeing Jamie rock the tiny bundle in place as he fed her, Lila standing next to him, smiling down at the baby.

As soon as Marjorie had arrived, it was as if the oldest of the triplets was a natural. Often more protective of the baby than even Lila. He was constantly calling out for people to wash their hands before holding her or reminding them to support her head. Even Lila laughed at him from time to time - when she wasn’t calling out the same reminders. But it was often like that with your first. Or at least your first daughter. Oliver remembered he had been much the same when Pix arrived, feeling that as a baby she was far more fragile than her brothers. Mostly because even as a baby, she was so much smaller than her brothers. 

Granted as she grew up, Oliver learned that she was much, much stronger than he had given her credit for, often able to walk off bigger hits than her brothers on the pitch. And then there was the matter of her gifts. 

Oliver walked over to the open door, forgetting about the bottles for a second time in a span of a few minutes and watched the couple as Lila sang a lullaby in French softly. He nearly couldn’t believe that Jamie was a father. Or Remus. Or that Pix was a mum. Just needed to get Alan married and then all of them would be parents. If it weren’t for the twins in the other room with Iris, Oliver would have felt rather old at that moment. Well, that’s not true. He felt old every time he had to get up in the middle of the night to get a bottle or change a nappy, and then go to practice the next morning. 

He certainly did not have the energy that he did the first two times around in his 20s.

“Look, Marjorie. Your grandpapa is here,” Lila said softly, catching Oliver in the doorway. He walked over and looked down at her, noticing that she was already being lulled back to sleep.

“Hi, Marjorie,” he crooned, looking down at her, scarce believing she was finally here. He couldn’t believe they were all finally here. 

“Oliver, where are you?!”

He chuckled as he looked over towards the bedroom.

“Best get in there, Dad…”

~~~

_Oliver Wood  
_ _Oct. 26, 2029_  
_Iris - 31 weeks  
_ _Daisy & Lila - 37 weeks_

Humming to myself, I sent the last of the dishes to the sink to wash themselves as Iris got herself settled in the living room with a mug of tea. With the twins getting closer to arriving, it was getting harder for her to do a lot of the housework, so despite being on the pitch all day most days, I did the best I could to help around the house. Including dinner and the dishes.

“What do you want to watch tonight?” Red called out as I walked in and went to the liquor cabinet to make myself a drink. 

“Anything you want,” I replied, glancing over my shoulder at her. She chuckled as she scrolled through the options. “You think we’ll manage to have a quiet weekend?”

Iris snorted as she continued maneuvering through the movies. 

“Between Wills and Jamie thinking that everything is labor pains, I doubt it,” she replied. “Got another owl from Daisy complaining about it today. Though should be thankful that she no longer wants to jinx him over it.”

“Still slipping him sleeping draughts?” I asked, walking over and settling on the sofa next to her. “He’s been coming in fairly rested every day.”

“Seems he discovered it and made her swear not to do it again,” Iris said. 

“Surprised it took him this long to figure it out,” I said as she settled on a movie and it started up. 

“She hadn’t been giving him that much. Just enough in his tea to get him to settle down for the night so she could get some rest,” Iris said with a sigh. “He thought it was the energy draught he’d been taking in the morning for a while.”

“I’ll admit, it’s decent stuff. Used it a few times this week and it got me through practice,” he said. 

“She did make it better. Found a way to offset some of the side effects, like drowsiness after it wears off,” she replied. “Suppose all those days stuck at home helped with that.” I glanced over at her. 

“How is she doing today?” I asked, wondering how both Lila and Daisy were faring. They were about three weeks away from their due dates, so the wee ones could literally come at any time. Even though we had all long tired of Wills’ false calls, I couldn’t help but take them a mite seriously. The triplets had come early, after all. 

“Oh, she’s fine. Outside of complaining about Wills, her feet, her back and the twins constantly moving about,” Iris said with a chuckle. “Dare say, I understand. I was uncomfortable more often than not about that time with the triplets.”

“And how are you?” I asked, leaning over to place my large hand on her belly.

“We’re doing well today,” she said looking down as she rubbed the side of her stomach. “Though I suppose I’ll be complaining as much as Daisy in a few weeks, if I remember correctly.” I snorted as I glanced at her.

“I remember that all too well,” I replied. “Thought the triplets couldn’t get here soon enough just so you could return to normal.”

“Let’s hope it’s not as bad with these two,” she said. I leaned over and kissed her stomach.

“Hello, wee Rosie, wee Davie,” I said softly.

“Davie?” Iris asked. I shrugged as I looked up at her. 

“If Rose has a nickname, David should as well,” I replied. “And she needs one unless we want to confuse her with Ron and Hermione’s Rose. Rather not resort to Rose 1 and Rose 2.” Iris chuckled. 

“Suppose that is true,” she said. She was silent for a bit, thinking it over. “Rosie and Davie… I like it.” 

We then turned our attention to the telly, getting a bit wrapped in the movie. After about 20 minutes, I got up to fetch some snacks from the kitchen, accurately judging from the way that Iris was shifting on the sofa that she and twins were getting a bit hungry. I had just settled onto the sofa again after handing her a plate of cut veggies when there was a peck at the window. 

We both looked over, seeing a large barn owl there, waiting patiently, with a small letter in its beak. I quickly stood and walked over, opening the window. As soon as I took the letter, the owl flew off, not sticking around for a treat. I shut the window and walked back to the sofa, wondering who would be owling us at this time of night, though the thought was quickly replaced with nervous excitement. Perhaps it was finally the real thing.

“Who is it?” Iris asked, putting the plate aside. I quickly ripped open, seeing a scribbled mess of jibberish, then Marcus’ writing underneath it.

“Lila’s gone into labor for real this time. They’re off to St. Mungo’s,” I said, ignoring whatever mess was at the top of the letter. A grin filled my face as I looked over at Iris, my own excitement mirrored in her face. “It’s time! Marjorie’s coming tonight!”

I jumped to my feet and reached over, helping Iris stand. 

“Let me grab my things and we can meet them at St. Mungo’s,” she said. “I’ve got a small bag packed in case we end up there for a bit.”

“I’ll get it,” I said, quickly kissing her cheek and then bounding up the stairs to our room, knowing where she kept the bag in her closet. I couldn’t help as I became more and more excited with every step. My granddaughter was on her way here. With luck, she might even be born tonight, though experience told me it would likely be sometime tomorrow.

I grabbed my own bag. I knew Iris intended to stay with Lila the whole time, but being as far along as she was, I knew that I’d need to stay with her to make sure she didn’t overdo it. As I made my way to the stairs, I heard a raised voice, the panic quite clear. I quickened my pace, nearly running down the stairs and walking into the living room. Iris stood with an amused look on her face while Wills was pacing. He stopped when I walked in, a frantic look on his face.

“Coach. You have to help me. It’s Pix,” he said. 

“What is it this time? Gas?” I asked, slightly exasperated. He was getting to be a bit much.

“No, I think it’s for real this time but she’s refusing to go to hospital,” he said, rushing up to me. “She said she’s been having pains all day. At first they were irregular, but they are coming every nine minutes or so.” I was silent. That did sound a bit more serious than before. I looked over to Iris, deferring to her on this matter. 

“You go see to Daisy. I’ll head to St. Mungo’s,” she said. “If she’s really getting closer, she’ll listen to you.” I frowned. That was not right. Daisy never listened to me. “Lila needs me now. She _is_ in labor and likely scared witless. You can handle Daisy.”

“Wait, Lila’s in labor?” Wills asked, looking back and forth between us. 

“We just got the owl and were heading out when you showed up,” I said as I walked over and handed Iris her bag and kissed her cheek. She smiled at me and then disappeared. I turned to Wills. 

“Let’s get this over with. I’d like to not miss the birth of my granddaughter because of your paranoia,” I replied with a sigh.

~~~

When we walked into Pix and Wills’ place, she was lying quite relaxed on the sofa, a book in hand. When she heard us come in, she sat up, a frown on her face.

“I told you it was nothing, Wills. Why did you have to go get Dad?” she complained as she slowly tried to get up. Wills ran over and pushed her back down, then placed his hands on her belly.

“How far apart are they now?” he asked as I walked over. 

“Not that close. Besides, this could just be Braxton Hicks again,” she replied pushing his hands away. She looked over at me. “Right, Dad?” 

I cleared my throat, unsure of what to tell her. I couldn’t help but think about Jamie and Lila, knowing that I needed to get to St. Mungo’s. You never could tell with bairns. While sometimes they came slowly, they sometimes came quicker than expected. Dominique had been a good example of that. Bill had been on a business trip to Paris at the time and just got back before the lad had come along. 

“Are they more regular?” I asked. She blinked slightly and looked down at her belly.

“A bit… still every eight to nine minutes though,” she replied.

“And the pain?” I asked, taking a step closer. 

“Not that bad,” she said, looking up at me. Though at that moment she must have had one, because a grimace came over her face as she reached for Wills’ hand and gripped it tightly as she began breathing heavily. After about half a minute, her face relaxed as her breathing evened out. “That one was a bit worse than before…”

“See!? I told you that it was for real this time,” Wills declared, studying her. “We need to get to St. Mungo’s!”

“Even if it is real, we don’t need to go this second. The healer said they won’t admit me until it's more like five to seven minutes apart,” Daisy replied, still seeming not completely convinced that she was actually in labor. “My waters haven’t even broken.”

“But that’ll come soon enough! We should go now!” Wills said. Daisy just stared at him before looking over at me. Her expression clearly said that she wanted me to back her up. I was still thinking about Jamie and Lila.

“Go. Don’t go. I just need to get to St. Mungo’s,” I said, starting towards their floo.

“Why?” Daisy asked.

“Lila’s in labor,” I replied. “Your mum is already there with them.” Daisy’s eyes widened as she started to get up.

“Well then, we should go too,” she said.

“Finally,” Wills said, breathing a sigh of relief as he stood and started towards the stairs up to their bedroom.

“What are you doing? We’re going for Jamie and Lila,” she retorted, stopping. I just rolled my eyes.

“We should bring your things just in case!” Wills shouted, now halfway up them. Daisy looked at me.

“Not a bad idea, though we should hurry,” I said. She just shook her head and sighed.

“Fine,” she said, relenting. Within seconds, Wills was back, two carryalls in his hands. He grinned.

“Let’s go have some babies!” he declared happily. I just shook my head and reached out for Daisy’s hand. She took mine and then looped her arm through Wills’.

“Here we go.”

~~~

As soon as we arrived in the lobby, I ran through the halls towards the maternity wing. Iris stepped out of a room and shut the door behind her just as I started down the hall. She smiled in relief to see me, though looked behind me.

“Where’s Wills and Daisy?” she asked. “Was she not in labor?” 

I turned, seeing the two turn around a corner, Wills arm around Daisy as he led her on, both bags over one of his shoulders. Her waddling made her move much slower than usual.

“She is in labor?” Red asked. I turned back to her, noting her eyes were wide as she met my eyes. “All three of them tonight? Who would have thought?”

“Well, it’s still up for debate. Pix wanted to be here for Jamie and Lila, though I think she may have started,” I replied, now starting to get a bit excited myself. Blimey. All three of them. What would be the chance that they’d all have the same birthday?

“I’m not in labor,” Daisy said as they got nearer, trying to push Wills away from her. “But Wills insisted on bringing our things just in case.” 

“They’re about eight to nine minutes apart,” Wills said to Iris, ignoring Daisy’s comment. “Regular. And she’s had a bigger one not long ago.”

“It wasn’t that painful,” Daisy said, frowning up at him. She then grimaced and wrapped her arms around her large belly as she bent over slightly, another contraction coming over her. 

“Mrs. Wills, are you alright?” the healer asked as she stepped out of Lila’s room and made her way to Daisy’s side. 

“Fine,” she said, breathing heavily. 

“How far apart?” the healer asked.

“Was about eight minutes, but that one…. That was only about seven minutes,” Daisy admitted. The healer felt around her belly and then looked around the group, an amused smile coming over her face. 

“Mrs. Wills… I think you’re on your way to having these babies,” she said, looking back at her. Daisy’s eyes widened. 

“No bloody way,” she said as Wills whooped.

“I told you!” he shouted gleefully. Daisy just frowned at him. The healer only laughed in response. 

“Follow me, Mrs. Wills. We’ll get you set up in the room across the hall,” she said, leading Daisy over to a door.

“But my waters-”

Daisy stopped suddenly as her eyes widened again and she made a weird noise before looking down. There was a slight wet spot appearing on her trousers. The healer laughed softly. 

“I believe your waters just broke,” the healer said. “Come on then…” 

We watched as the couple disappeared in a room and then looked at each other. I just blinked, a bit overwhelmed. Bloody hell, all three of our grandchildren were on their way here. Iris just chuckled. I immediately looked down at her belly.

“Stop it, Oliver. I’m only 31 weeks. I’m not going into labor tonight,” she said. I looked back up to her face.

“But you could,” I said. “At least we’re already at St. Mungo’s.” She just shook her head and continued laughing. 

“No, I’m not. Besides we should be focusing on Daisy and Lila,” she replied. “They _are_ in labor. And there’s a bit of a predicament.” I looked towards Lila’s room. 

“What’s wrong? Are Lila and the baby alright?” I asked, immediately worried.

“They’re fine. It’s Jamie,” she said. I stared at her, confused. 

“What could be wrong with him?” I asked. Iris chuckled.

“Daisy apparently mixed up something with a batch of calming draught. Manage to get him an antidote, but he’s… a bit loopy at the moment,” she said, looking towards the door. I heard a crash from inside.

“What the…”

“He’ll be fine,” she assured me. “And Lila’s about five minutes apart but moving a bit slowly. However, the healer assured us that everything is just fine.”

“Any idea on when little Marjorie’ll be here?” I asked. 

“You know how this goes,” Iris said, smiling slightly. “Could be later tonight or tomorrow morning. Either way, Lila is doing wonderfully. It’s Jamie we should worry about.” I glanced towards the door, memories of Iris’ previous births flowing through my mind. 

For Jamie’s sake, I hoped Lila was much calmer than Iris had been. And I didn’t envy him or Wills in that moment, even though Iris was only about eight weeks out from her own due date. Delivery - while a life changing experience - hadn’t been all that great in the beginning. But for the time being, it was good to push that aside. Tonight I needed to focus on the fact that my grandchildren were coming.

“I was just about to owl the others if you want to go in?” Iris said. “Or, well, suppose we’ll need to split up and take turns with them.” I nodded, looking back at her as a strategy began filling my head. While I had assumed that they wouldn’t go into labor at the same time, I knew it was always a possibility with the two of them getting pregnant at the same time. I had already put together several scenarios.

“Here’s what we’ll do,” I said, looking at her. “We’ll go owl the rest of the family and then you take Pix and I’ll go in with Lila and see what I can do about Jamie. After about 30 minutes, we’ll convene in the corridor and then switch.” An amused look came over Iris’ face. “I don’t assume they’ll give birth at the same time, so when Lila gets to that point, I’ll go with Daisy and then you can go in once she’s ready. Reckon she and Jamie’ll will want some time to themselves just afterwards.” Iris started laughing. “What?”

“You’re running this like a quidditch match,” she said, crossing her arms in front of her. I frowned. This was nothing like a quidditch match. 

“Someone needed to come up with a plan,” I said, slightly indignant. “And I don’t reckon either Wills or Jamie is in any state to think of something.” Iris chuckled again as she went up on her toes to kiss my cheek.

“It’s a good plan. Though we’ll see how close we’re able to stick to it,” she replied before starting down the corridor. “Come on. Got quite a few owls to send.”


	20. Flipping Out

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Obviously, I don't own anything created by J.K. Rowling, but I do own the Wood kids and other OCs. Ah, and the story.
> 
> Setting: Next Generation (Post-Hogwarts - Mostly Original Characters)  
> Genre: Humor  
> Rating: M (Language)

_Daisy Wills  
_ _Oct. 26, 2029  
_ _37 weeks_

I frowned slightly as I shifted around on the sofa. All day I had been uncomfortable with random pain shooting through my back and lower abdomen. While at first I had thought it could have been labor, they weren’t that often, nor that painful. And I had gone about an hour here and there with nothing. I was certain that it was just Braxton Hicks again, and didn’t bother to send word to Wills. It would only rile him up and the last thing I wanted was for him to rush home and hover about, watching me constantly.

He was put out when he discovered the sleeping draughts I had been slipping him so he’d sleep through the night and I wasn’t allowed to give him more, but being Wills, was quick to forgive me and even attempted to relax a bit more. It was a welcome change, though he would still watch me constantly. 

I was looking at an entire weekend of it. He didn’t have a match tomorrow and Dad usually gave them Saturday and Sunday off when they weren’t playing. Sighing, I tried to focus on my book again, trying not to think about the possibility that he’d annoy the daylights out of me at some point. 

I put it down and grunted slightly as I sat up, another pain shooting through my abdomen. I glanced at the clock, noting they were coming a bit more frequently. That seemed odd. The last time, they had been rather irregular and were now coming every 10-12 minutes. Even if this was labor, I knew it was still too soon to go to St. Mungo’s so instead decided it was better to stay as relaxed as I could. Perhaps a warm bath would do the trick.

Pushing up off the sofa, I waddled my way over to the stairs and then up to our bedroom. In a short time I had the bath running and managed to get a few candles lit before it was ready and I slipped in, sighing as I leaned back. I still had another couple hours before Wills would get home and began to think over what we should have for dinner that night. While he did most of the cooking nowadays, I felt like having it ready for him as he came in the door would be a good thing. Especially since I felt I needed to make it up to him for being so horrible the last couple of months.

While he had annoyed me more often than not, I had to admit that he was doing his best. We had spent a long time talking after the last little tiff and I knew that he was equally excited and terrified about the fact the twins would soon be here. We both were. Even with all the extensive reading and my chats with my cousins, I still felt completely unprepared for what was about to come. And while Wills was always throwing around facts he had picked up from the books, he was just as overwhelmed. We decided that night rather than taking it out on each other as we had been, we should work together. It was going to take the both of us to get through the next 18 years, after all. Likely more, considering we both wanted more than just two.

I felt a small bump and opened my eyes, looking down at my belly as it protruded out of the water.

“Calm down, you two,” I murmured as I closed my eyes again. “You’ll have the rest of your lives to bug me… let me have at least a few minutes of respite.” I did that often - speaking to them as though they were already here. We both did. Sometimes I’d sing to them or tell them stories. Other times I’d hold entire conversations with them, finding it comforting during the long hours I spent alone at the house when my cousins or parents or brothers weren’t visiting and Wills was off.

I found my thoughts once again drifting to what they would be like. Would they be tall like Wills or my brothers and father? Or short and compact, like myself? What color hair would they have? Their eyes? Would they be mischievous or quiet and thoughtful? 

What house would they get at Hogwarts?

Wills and I had had a rather entertaining conversation about that the other night. Mostly making predictions as to how Dad would react if one or both of them got Slytherin. We both concluded that it would be humorous, though Wills said that he wanted to hide behind me just in case. While Dad hadn’t gone for him in a very, very long time, I had to admit it was sound advice. He hadn’t thought it very humorous when Wills’ mother gifted us with identical sets of baby clothes in Slytherin colors - she had been one as well, though his father was Hufflepuff and his brother Ravenclaw. 

I found that I didn’t care so much what house they got. As long as they were happy. And with all the cousins having kids, it was likely whatever house they got, they would find family there.

After some time of daydreaming about the twins, the water started going cold. I figured that was a sign to get out. There had been a couple more pains while lying there, but nothing too serious. I quickly dressed and made my way downstairs to the kitchen where I got supper started before returning to the sofa to continuing reading while waiting on Wills to get back.

Sure enough, he walked into the flat at the same time he did every night.

“How was practice?” I asked, putting the book down. Wills stopped just outside the kitchen, glancing at all the preparations and then back at me, a look of confusion on his face.

“You cooked?” he asked. I couldn’t help but smile as I nodded.

“Don’t sound too impressed,” I joked as I swung my feet around to the floor and began to push myself up. Another pain shot through me, causing me to stop and frown. Immediately Wills was at my side.

“What is it? Something wrong? Are you in labor?” he asked frantically. Chuckling, I pushed him aside as I started for the kitchen to check on supper. Should be just about ready. 

“I’m fine,” I said. “I don’t think it’s labor… been rather irregular all day.”

“All day?” he replied, his voice going up a pitch. “You’ve been having them all day and didn’t say anything?” I waved my hand in the air as I stopped in front of the stove and grabbed a spoon to taste the stew. It was perfect. 

“I told you, it’s nothing serious,” I said lightly.

“But we should go to St. Mungo’s just to be sure,” he insisted. Of course, he’d say that. I rolled my eyes as I looked over at him.

“We’ve been in several times as it is between the two of us. Probably wouldn’t get one foot into the maternity wing before they sent us back home,” I replied. “Trust me. I’ll know when it’s ready.” Wills frowned at me. “Seriously, Wills.”

“I just worry,” he said, placing a hand on my belly. “It’s getting close to time.”

“I know. Just… don’t want to tire myself going in until I’m sure it’s time,” I said, smiling up at him. “You know how much harder it is for me to get around nowadays.” I turned back to the stove and stirred the stew. He sighed and shook his head, knowing that it was no use arguing with me at this point. Instead he went to the cabinet and started gathering plates and such, then setting them on the table before going to the fridge to pull out a salad I had made earlier in the afternoon and the rest of the fixings. 

By the time I sent the stew to the table, he had the rest of it sat out along with two glasses of water. We settled in to eat, though Wills continued to shoot concerned looks towards me. We hadn’t been eating that long before I felt another slight pain. I tried my best to cover it up, knowing that Wills would say something. I must have not done so very well as he put his spoon down and stared at me. 

“Wills,” I said in warning.

“How far apart now?” he asked. 

“Maybe 12 minutes or so,” I admitted. He sighed and shook his head. 

“We should go in, Pix,” he replied.

“No,” I stated. “I’ve already told you why.”

“Do you want to give birth in the building?” he asked, his voice a little louder.

“You’re being impossible, Wills,” I said, starting to chuckle as I began eating again. “We’re fine. All of us.” He just sighed and continued eating, though I could tell he wanted to say more. We finished up and Wills put me on the sofa to rest with a cup of tea while he did the dishes. Soon he was settled in the armchair, watching the evening news. Or at least pretending to. I could still feel him watching me closely.

I’m not sure how many times it was since Wills got home, but I sat up on the sofa, and rubbed my belly. That had been a larger one that I was expecting. 

“That’s it, we’re going in,” he said, standing. 

“It’s fine, Wills,” I said, frowning at him.

“Will you not see any reason?” he nearly shouted. I could see that he was starting to get seriously worried, even though I was still rather calm about the whole thing. Mostly because I still didn’t think I was actually in labor. Surely the pains would die off in a bit. They had before. Usually about the time I went to bed. 

“I’m sure this is just like the other times,” I said, rubbing my belly. Wills sighed in exasperation.

“If you won’t listen to me, then I’m going to your parents,” he stated. I chuckled.

“I’m not 15, Wills. If you go running off to Mum and Dad, it’s not going to change my mind,” I said lying back down on the sofa. Wills just stared at me a moment before pulling out his wand and disappearing. 

“Blimey,” I muttered as I shook my head. Just what the blazes was my worrisome husband thinking?

~~~

_Jamie Wood_  
_Oct. 26, 2029  
_ _Lila - 37 weeks_

Lila was sitting on the sofa in the den, a strained look on her face when I walked in that day from practice. I rushed through getting changed and such, eager to get back home. I wasn’t sure why, but I kept feeling like it could be any day now that Marjorie came and I wanted to make sure that Lila wasn’t at home alone for too long. She had gone on maternity leave, eager for the baby to get here herself. Marcus was now settled in a guest room, so I wasn’t too worried. But I didn’t want to miss anything.

“Is everything alright?” I asked, immediately rushing to her side. 

“I am fine,” she said, smiling up at me as she rubbed her belly. 

“She’s been saying that all day,” Marcus replied from the kitchen. I looked over at him, concerned. He was busy making up tea. “She’s at about 10 minutes apart now.” My eyes widened as I looked over at her. 

“You mean… it’s happening?” I asked my voice soft. Lila smiled as she nodded.

“It would seem that Marjorie is on her way,” she said. I looked around the den before remembering that our bags were up in the bedroom.

“We should go. Now. We need to get to St. Mungo’s,” I said quickly, starting towards the hallway.

“Already brought the bags down,” Marcus said.

“And not yet. The healer said we should wait until they were about seven to five minutes apart,” Lila said. “I believe we still have a few more hours to go.”

“But… but… shouldn’t we go now just in case?” I asked. Lila chuckled.

“Jamie, we know that they will not admit me until then,” she said. “Besides I am much more comfortable at home for this bit.” Marcus walked over and sat in an armchair with his tea and watching her. “Please, both of you. I need you to stay calm. Sit down, Jamie.”

I walked over and sat at her side on the sofa, my mind going completely blank. While I felt much calmer than the night I first thought she had gone into labor, I quickly forgot what it was I should do during this time. We had gone to those parenting classes - learned all about breathing techniques as well as how to do nappies and things like swaddling. But for the life of me, I seemed to forget what we should be doing right now. Something about staying calm.

Yes, that was it. Stay calm. 

“Do you need me to do anything? Draw a bath, or, or… should you eat something? Tea?” I asked, watching her as she sat back on the sofa. She was slowly breathing in and out

“I am okay for now - they said I should not eat or drink anything for now,” she said, smiling. “Everything is ready for when it is time to leave, though.”

“So… we just… sit here. And wait?” I asked. Lila nodded. I tried to get comfortable on the sofa, but found myself too jittery, instead standing and starting to pace around the den. 

“Relax, Jamie,” she said.

“Can’t really do that… Merlin, we’re having a baby,” I said, allowing my nerves to get the best of me for a moment. “We should owl Mum and Dad.”

“Not yet. We don’t know that we will be going in anytime soon,” Lila replied sensibly.

“How can you be so calm?” I asked, which only caused her to chuckle at me. I looked over at Marcus, who didn’t seem to be any calmer than I was, though he was certainly better at hiding it. He met my eyes and then looked back over at Lila. 

“Because I know that there is nothing we can do right now,” she said. “Though… perhaps a bath would be nice.”

I quickly turned and dashed upstairs to our bathroom, happy to finally be doing something to help. But the time Marcus had helped Lila up, I had it ready and he quietly left. 

“I can undress myself, Jamie,” Lila said with a chuckle, though she grimaced and stopped, starting to breathe heavily as she gripped my arm. I watched on. This one was a bit longer. Once it stopped, she looked up at me and offered a weak smile.

“That was a bit stronger,” she said, continuing to remove her clothing. 

“Are you sure-”

“Yes, I am fine,” she said, as she dropped the last of her clothing on the floor and then stepped into the tub, slowly lowering herself into the water and then leaning back as she sighed and closed her eyes. I settled on the toilet. After a minute, she popped an eye open. “You do not need to hover, Jamie.”

“But what if you need me?” I asked. She laughed softly. 

“I am sure that you will hear me shout should I need you,” she said. I sighed and stepped out, making my way downstairs. Marcus was now pacing in front of the fireplace, the tea forgotten as he sipped from a glass of firewhiskey. He stopped as he looked over at me. 

“How is she?” he asked. 

“Fine. Settled,” I replied. He sighed and nodded before walking over and pouring me a glass. He then turned and handed it over. 

“You’ll likely need it,” he said. I stared at it then accepted, taken a decent gulp. “Merlin… I feel as though I could jump out of my skin every time she has another contraction. Been doing so all day.” 

I nodded and didn’t reply, remembering that he hadn’t known about Lila’s birth until later, not finding out about her until he had been captured and hauled off to Azkaban. This was a new experience for all of us. He looked over at me.

“How are you faring?” he asked. 

“I… well enough… I suppose,” I said, taking another drink. Honestly, I was surprised at how calm my voice was. I wanted to jump out of my skin as well. Or rush up and demand we go to St. Mungo’s right now. Granted, I knew that the worst was yet to come. Marcus chuckled, drawing my attention. 

“Thinking over all the stories your dad told you?” he asked. I nodded. Mum had been something fierce while in labor. Merlin, I hoped Lila didn’t get that bad. 

“Mum nearly killed him both times,” I said. He glanced towards upstairs.

“Lila seems calm for now. Surely it won’t be bad,” he said.

“Mum is also usually calm,” I said glumly. Marcus’ face paled slightly.

“It’s going to get bad,” he said, looking off into space. It wasn’t so much a question as it was a statement. I just shook my head. 

“Let’s hope not,” I said, looking towards upstairs. Feeling the need to do something other than stand in the kitchen drink with my father-in-law, I walked over to the bags and opened them, going through them just to be sure. I heard Marcus chuckling. Frowning, I glanced over at him.

“I’ve checked them about 20 times already,” he said, taking another drink. I sighed and straightened up and then started pacing again. 

“You did this all day?” I asked, feeling way too jittery for the calm atmosphere in the house. “How can you be so calm right now?”

“Might have taken some calming draught,” he admitted. I stared at him. “Just a nip. Earlier. I’m ready to do what’s necessary when the time comes.” I nodded and looked back down at the bags, wishing that I could take some right now. Maybe just a bit wouldn’t hurt. Only to take the edge off from the nerves. I walked over into the kitchen and opened the cabinet with all the various potions and such. 

“You sure about that?” Marcus asked. “It’s nearly time…”

“Lila said it could be a few more hours. Figure if I take a bit now, it’ll help keep me calm through everything,” I said, pulling the bottle down. I quickly took a sip and then stopped, looking down at the label. “This the usual?”

“Dunno. I had my own,” Marcus said. 

I then remembered that Pix had sent it over. She had been making up a storm of potions and whatnot since she went on leave. I sniffed at it, finding the scent a bit unfamiliar. I then remembered Wills complaining about how he took over cooking because Pix kept getting absentminded and adding in things she shouldn’t. My eyes widened slightly as I put the bottle down. Just as suddenly, they started getting heavy.

“You alright, Jamie?” Marcus said, walking towards me. 

“Yea, just… what the hell did Pix put in this?” I asked, my words slurring slightly. Marcus quickly walked up to my side, catching me as I slumped over. 

“Blimey,” he murmured, reaching for the bottle and sniffing it. “Think this is a sleeping draught.”

“Sure? I feel fiiin…” 

Everything was getting very blurry and I really couldn’t keep my eyes open. I just wanted to lie down for a bit. Surely then I’d feel better.

“Jush… nap…”

“Jamie, Papa? It’s time.”

“Time for what?” I asked, my mind becoming muddled. Weren’t we supposed to go to St. Mungo’s for something? I saw Lila’s shocked look, but at that moment I wasn’t sure why she was so shocked.

“Come on, Jamie. Time to go to hospital,” I heard Marcus say as he hoisted me up.

“What happened?”

“Think Daisy mixed up the labels on her potions… was going to take a calming draught but I think it was a sleep one instead…”

“I’m fine,” I managed to get out. I was. I took a step towards Lila and nearly fell. 

I was not fine.


	21. Complications

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Obviously, I don't own anything created by J.K. Rowling, but I do own the Wood kids and other OCs. Ah, and the story.
> 
> Setting: Next Generation (Post-Hogwarts - Mostly Original Characters)  
> Genre: Humor  
> Rating: M (Language)

Oliver stood leaning against the wall as he watched Iris slowly move around the room, singing softly as she rocked wee Davie in her arms. He couldn’t help as a soft smile came across his face. She had done this with all their children and he nearly forgot how much he loved watching her with them.

She then glanced up and smiled at him. 

“Could use some help,” she said softly. Oliver walked in and handed her one bottle as he went to pick up a fussing Rosie from her crib.

“Ah, there, there, wee one. Daddy’s here,” he crooned as he held her close and gave her the bottle. Immediately the fussing stopped as she gazed up at him. He rocked her gently, softly talking to her as he made a slow trek around the nursery.

“Nearly forgot over the years just how good you are with them when they’re this age,” Iris said. 

“Thought I was always good with them,” Oliver replied, keeping his voice light as Rosie continued staring up at him, though smiled slightly. Iris chuckled softly.

“Daisy might have something to say about that,” she replied. Oliver looked over at her. “Promise you won’t be as hard on Rosie as you were Daisy.” 

“I was not hard on Daisy,” he retorted. Iris just continued laughing and shook her head. Oliver looked back down at Rosie. “Besides I feel like this one is going to be a lot less trouble than Daisy… even if she looks exactly like her.”

“Suppose we’ll just have to see,” Iris said as she returned her attention to Davie. “Merlin… can you believe that we’re parents again?” Oliver chuckled.

“No,” he replied. But he knew that he wouldn’t change anything about it. If he were being truly honest with himself, he missed having the kids around as much as Iris did. And now they were looking at having at least 18 more years of kids in the house. He had no clue what these two would do or what they would be like, but he was eager to find out.

And it helped that they would have a plethora of cousins and hopefully aunts and uncles at Hogwarts to help them out. 

“Let’s hope they aren’t as much trouble as they were getting here,” Iris said. Oliver continued rocking the baby, though looked over at Iris, immediately back to that day. For a span of time, he seriously thought he was about to lose all three of them. In fact, every second he had with Iris, Rosie or Davie, he counted his blessings. 

That had been a day, for sure.

~~~

_Oliver Wood_  
_Oct. 26, 2029  
_ _Iris - 31 weeks_

I walked into Lila’s room just after we sent off the last of the owls, Iris leaving a kiss on my cheek before she went across the hall to check on Daisy and Wills. I immediately stopped as I looked over to see Jamie pacing in rapid fashion at the end of the bed, his eyes darting from Lila to the floor in front of him and back at Lila. On the floor next to him was what appeared to have been a vase with flowers, though it was now in several pieces with water and flowers all around.

Merlin, what the hell was wrong with him?

“What did Red give him?” I asked as I looked over at Marcus. He was at Lila’s side, though from the grimace on his face, it seemed her contractions had gotten worse. She was sitting up in the bed, going through her breathing as she glared at my son. 

“DunnothinkitssomesortofenergypotionIcan’tstopmoving,” Jamie said in one breath, looking at me frantically as he stopped pacing, but took up tapping his foot rapidly against the floor while his hands tapped out an erratic beat against his legs and it seemed like his entire body was vibrating.

“Iris said that the effects should wear off in a bit, but he’s going to be slightly wired until then,” Marcus said as he rubbed Lila’s back with his free hand. “Accidentally knocked that vase over a minute ago.”

Sighing, I stepped around my son - who was now pacing again - and cleaned up the mess before stepping around him again and moving to the other side of the bed. Glancing over at him, I started rubbing Lila’s back as well, feeling like I should do something to help while Jamie was otherwise disposed. Wouldn’t do any good for him attempting to help Lila in his current condition.

I had been through this very thing twice now and knew it was likely to get worse before Marjorie arrived. A lot worse, if Red was anything to go by.

“Just breathe, Lila. Jamie’ll be right as rain soon,” I said soothingly.

“Better,” she grunted, still glaring at him. 

“Itwasn’tmyfault!” Jamie said, still pacing. He started chewing on his thumb nail. “ItwasallPix’sfaultIthoughtIwastakingacalmingdraughtandIfellasleepYoushouldtalktoher!”

Lila released Marcus’ hand as she laid back on her pillows, signaling that the contraction had passed. I then walked over and took Jamie’s shoulders, forcing him to stay still for a moment.

“Get it under control, Jamie,” I said sternly. He shook his head rapidly, his eyes wide as he blinked furiously.

“I’mtryingbutcan’tstopmoving!” he said.

“Can’t you give him something else?” Marcus asked. I looked over at him, my eyebrows raised as Jamie began tapping his hands against his legs again. He clearly could not stay still for longer than half a second.

“Doubt it. Best to let this one do its work,” I said with a sigh as I let go of Jamie and he started pacing again. This was bloody fantastic. His first child was on the way and he couldn’t focus or do anything to help. “Could only make it worse, but I can ask Red when she gets back in here. She’s in with Daisy and Wills.” 

“What do you mean in with Daisy and Wills?” Lila asked. I looked over at her, noticing her eyes were wide. Jamie stopped pacing for a split second, his own shock clear on his face as he started running his fingers through his hair over and over again.

“Ah, well… she was having contractions all day but didn’t think it was real. Then her waters broke as soon as she and Wills arrived,” I said, running my hand up the back of my neck. “They put her in a room across the hall.”

“Bloody hell… all of them at the same time?” Marcus asked as he sat down in a chair and rubbed his face.

“Well… she’s not as far along in labor as Lila. Always a chance they’ll be born at different times,” I said. “Maybe not even on the same day.” Lila nodded as she looked down at her stomach. “Red and I are going to take turns with you all.” 

“At least Papa is here,” Lila said, smiling over at him. “Though I wish that Jamie was feeling better…”

“ATLEASTI’MAWAKE!” Jamie said, looking over at her, his volume rising so suddenly that we all jumped slightly.

“Another side effect, according to Iris,” Marcus said, watching my son. 

Jamie walked over to the end of the bed and started tapping his hands on it. After a withering glare from Lila, he took a step back and took up pacing again, moving in a tighter and tighter circle.

“At least he is awake,” I commented. I seriously hoped he’d get out of this soon. Outside the fact that Lila would likely kill him, I knew that Jamie would tear himself up over this later when he was able to think clearly.

“BlimeywhatdidMumgiveme?” he said, now rubbing his face. “Thisisalmostworse.”

“Should subside soon” I replied, not really knowing how true that was. 

“Just fix it,” Lila said sternly. I looked over, noticing Marcus was back at her side, offering his hand though he didn’t seem to want to. He grimaced again as Lila squeezed it and started working through another contraction. She looked over at me, her eyes narrowed. “Fix. It.”

“Yes, of course,” I said after gulping. I then turned and ran out of the room, nearly colliding with Alan and Remus in the hallway. 

“How’s it going?” Remus asked. “And really? Both of them?!”

“Yea,” I said, running my hands through my hair. “Haven’t checked on Pix yet, but Lila’s doing… as best she can.” I glanced towards the closed door. “Jamie is…”

“Likely losing his mind,” Alan said with a chuckle. I looked back at him.

“Pix mixed up her potions. He thought he was taking a calming draught, but it put him to sleep. Your mother said she gave him an antidote, but he can’t seem to stop moving,” I said. “Heading over to Pix and Will to see if she can give him something else to calm him down.” Both Remus and Alan’s eyes widened before they started chuckling. “This isn’t funny!” 

“It is, Da,” Remus said. I just scowled at him. “Come on, even you have to find the humor in it!” 

“No, I don’t,” I said, crossing my arms in front of me. “Your brother is missing the birth of his first child and you’re just going to laugh at it?” 

“Yes,” Alan replied immediately. I just shook my head and then pointed at the door. 

“Then you two can deal with him while I go check in with your mother and sister,” I said before striding across the hall and into the other room. Iris looked up from where she was standing next to Daisy, helping her through a contraction. Wills hovered nearby, his expression worried. 

“What’s going on?” Iris asked.

“Just checking to see if you can give Jamie something else to calm him down,” I said, moving towards the bed. 

“A bit busy if you haven’t noticed,” Daisy replied, looking over at me.

“How are you doing?” I asked, taking up her other hand as I glanced about at the various monitors and tried to remember what they all meant. It had been about 26 years since the last time I did this and things had certainly changed.

“I’m fine,” Daisy replied with a sigh as she lay back on her pillows, obviously through the contraction. 

“They’re getting stronger,” Wills fretted.

“I told you. That’s normal,” Daisy said, looking over at him as she moved around and tried to get more comfortable. “’I’m about five minutes apart now. And it’s not all that painful. Healer says I’m at about four centimeters dilated.”

“But it’s going to get worse,” Wills added.

“I know,” Daisy said, shooting him a glare as he began pacing. I looked over and couldn’t help but chuckle. It was entertaining seeing Wills so out of it while Pix was calm as could be. Granted, who knew how long that would last. 

“She’s doing just fine,” Iris said, smiling down at Daisy. “But… if I knew more about the potion, I might be able to get Jamie something else that could help.” I looked back at Daisy as she sighed and scrunched up her face in concentration.

“I’m not sure. I thought I had been making a calming draught, but if he fell asleep then I must have put in too much Valerian,” she said, rubbing her belly. She looked up at Iris. “Couldn’t know for sure until I looked at the potion.” Iris sighed.

“That’s what I thought,” she replied as she met my gaze. “I can go to Jamie and Lila’s and take a look, then see if I have something that could help in my workshop. Or maybe speak to one of the healers. Or we could just let this one wear off. I didn’t give him much, so should be gone in about an hour and he’ll hopefully be back to normal.”

“Do you really have to leave?” Wills said, walking up to her and gripping her arm. “Please don’t leave us, Iris.” She only chuckled as she patted his arm.

“You have Oliver,” she said looking over at me. Wills did the same, though gulped noticeably.

“I’m not that bad,” I said gruffly, frowning at him. 

“I don’t want you to go, Mum,” Daisy said. “And Lila’s farther along. She’ll need you too!” Iris glanced at Daisy and then over at me, sighing.

“Suppose Jamie’s on his own,” she said. “Though I’ll try and find a healer and see if there’s anything they can do to help.” She leaned over and kissed Daisy’s head before walking out of the room. Wills moved to Daisy’s side, looking her up and down as though she were dying.

“How are you? Everything fine?” he asked. 

“Yes, I’m perfectly fine,” she said. I turned slightly, rubbing at my cheek. Blast it all, when had I started tearing up? I could hear Pix laughing.

“I’m not crying,” I said, frowning at her.

“Da, it’s perfectly fine. I’m sure Wills is going to be bawling like a babe soon enough,” she replied. 

“Well… it’s not every day that your little girl has a baby,” I muttered, still frowning at her. This wasn’t fair. She was laughing and calm as a cucumber while I was tearing up something fierce. Something was wrong about this situation.

“The others here?” Daisy asked, shifting around in the bed again. 

“Remus and Alan are. Went in to see your brother,” I said. Daisy started laughing.

“Sure, they’re giving him a hard time,” she said, her eyes twinkling. 

“HOW CAN YOU BE LAUGHING AT A TIME LIKE THIS!” Wills shouted, causing both of us to stare at him in confusion. “Sorry… just… the stress…”

“I’m the one having them, you bloody idiot,” Daisy retorted. “I’m going to need you to calm down if you want to stay in here the whole time.” Wills looked down at her and nodded quickly.

“Yes. Of course. I’m calm. I’m fine,” he replied. Daisy just rolled her eyes. I heard the door open and looked over to see Remus and Alan shuffling in.

“Who kicked you out?” I asked.

“All of them,” Remus said as they walked up to the bed. 

“We were trying to help,” Alan said, causing me to frown.

“Just exactly how were you helping?” Daisy asked.

“Tried to hold Jamie still,” Remus said.

“Whatever Mum gave him is strong,” Alan added. 

“If you’re going to try and help me, then you can just leave now,” Daisy said, crossing her arms.

“We’re done helping,” Remus said as he flopped down in a chair. 

It seemed they would never learn. 

~~~

A few hours later, I wasn’t sure exactly what time it was, but I knew it was after midnight. The babies still weren’t here, but the healers said Lila would be able to start pushing soon. Daisy wasn’t that far behind her - her contractions had kicked into high gear, though she was doing her best to remain calm. Mostly because the closer and stronger they got, the more unhinged Wills got. After he nearly broke Daisy’s hand during a rather strong one, she ordered him to go get her ice chips and not come back until he had calmed down.

Iris and I kept up a decent routine, shifting rooms every 10 minutes now. She was in with Lila and then would come in to see Pix one last time in a minute before she would stay with Lila during the delivery. I wasn’t exactly sure how she was doing it - all this running around - in her condition. But she never seemed to tire. I wondered if she had taken some of Pix’s energy potion.

At the moment, I was in with Daisy while her brothers were keeping her entertained during another contraction. She gripped my hand tightly and managed to smile and laugh a bit, though she was clearly in pain and panting. 

“Where the hell did Wills go? Bloody Antarctica?” I said, glancing towards the door. “At this rate, he’ll miss the whole bloody thing.”

“Go find him,” Daisy ordered, looking at Remus and Alan. They rolled their eyes and stood, starting towards the door. Before they reached it, it flew open. 

“Ah, good, Red,” I started as I turned, expecting to see my wife there. Instead, a grinning Wills sauntered in, albeit a bit wobbly, with a full bucket of ice chips. 

“I’m hee-ere!” he said grandly as he walked over to Pix, all of us following him with perplexed looks. Bloody hell, do not tell me he had taken some of Pix’s tainted calming draught.

“Where were you?” Daisy asked.

“You said not to come back until I was calm, so I got one of the healers to give me something,” he said. “Say ah!” He picked up a handful of ice and started reaching for her mouth. 

“Wills,” I said in warning. He snapped his head over to me and ended up dumping the whole handful on Daisy’s face and down her hospital gown.

“What the hell, Wills!” she shouted, glowering up at him as she attempted to dig the ice chips out.

“I’m so sorry, Pix!” he said, trying to stick his hand down her gown.

“Just stop!” she shouted back, slapping his hands away. “You’re making it worse!” I looked over at Remus and Alan, who were both struggling not to laugh. I just rolled my eyes.

“I’m going to see about your mother,” I said, moving towards the door. Once in the hallway, I shut the door behind me and leaned against it, sighing. This was turning into a bloody nightmare, though at least Jamie had stopped pacing and speaking 100 miles per minute. He still had a nervous tapping thing going, but he was at least able to help out with Lila more. I looked up and down the hallway, glad that the rest of the family was off in the waiting room. Lucy, Dom and the girls had come and checked on Daisy not long ago and Laura and Bridget had been in to see Lila. But the closer they got to giving birth, the healers had ordered everyone save immediate family out of the rooms. 

Especially since our extended family pretty much filled the entire waiting room.

The door across the hall opened and Iris stepped out, a bright grin on her face. I met her in the middle of the hall and she gave me a large hug.

“It’s time. She’s going to start pushing soon!” she said. 

“That’s a relief,” I said. And it was. At least one of them would be finished soon.

“Mr. and Mrs. Wood, everything going okay?” Daisy’s healer said, stepping up to us.

“About as good as they can be,” I said with a slight roll of my eyes.

“What’s wrong?” Iris asked, immediately concerned.

“Wills took something and is now acting like a bloody fool,” I said. Iris just shook her head.

“Well, I’ll just go check on Daisy then,” the healer said, before walking into the room.

“They’ll all have the same birthday,” Iris said looking up at me. I smiled down at her and then looked over at Lila’s door then back at Pix’s. Blimey… I was about to be a grandfather three times over in a matter of an hour or so, depending on how close Pix was to pushing. It was overwhelming. I’d likely sleep for a week after this. 

“Ah.” 

I whipped my head down to Iris, noticing that she was bent over, her hand around her belly as a grimace of pain came across her face.

“Everything all right?” I asked, immediately worried. It was too early. Surely, she wasn’t going into labor as well. 

There was no fucking way.

“I don’t know,” she said, her face starting to lose color. She looked up at me as she started breathing heavily. “Oliver… something doesn’t feel right.” 

Before I could respond, Daisy’s healer came back out into the hallway, a grin on her face.

“Daisy’s ready to start push- Good heavens, is something wrong?” she asked, immediately at Iris’ side.

“I don’t know. Just… I moved and it felt like… something pulled. It doesn’t feel right,” Iris said, looking at her. The healer felt around her belly and then straightened up, calling for more healers from down the hall.

“I’m not completely sure, Mrs. Wood, but if you felt a pull or a rip… it may mean that the placenta has ripped,” she said.

“What’s that mean?” I shouted, feeling my heart stop. It didn’t sound good. 

“Depends. But if it’s bad, well, we’ll need to get the babies out. Now,” the healer said as more ran up and started escorting Iris away. She shouted in pain and doubled over. I started to follow, though the healer stopped me.

“I’m sorry, Mr. Wood. You can’t go in with her,” the healer said. “But trust me, she’s in good hands. I’ll take care of her.” 

“But… what about Daisy… Lila…” I said, not completely registering what was going on. 

“I have another healer going in to help Daisy and Lila’s healer is already with her,” the healer said. “I need you to stay calm, Mr. Wood. You’re likely about to be father again.” I nodded numbly and watched as the group continued down the hall, quickly leading her into a room and shutting the door.

I was once again left alone in the hallway as I felt the blood rush through my head. I frantically looked from door to door to door, not knowing what I was supposed to be doing. 

Blimey, I was not prepared for this.


	22. Meeting the Grandkids

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Obviously, I don't own anything created by J.K. Rowling, but I do own the Wood kids and other OCs. Ah, and the story.
> 
> Setting: Next Generation (Post-Hogwarts - Mostly Original Characters)  
> Genre: Humor  
> Rating: M (Language)

_Daisy Wills  
Oct. 27, 2029_

“Doing well, Daisy! Now rest!” the healer shouted, her head still down. I leaned back against the pillows, breathing heavily as I scanned around the room. Mum wasn’t there though I assumed that Lila must be taking longer than expected and she was across the hall. 

I couldn’t lie, I was a bit frantic. I wanted her here for this. Needed her here. Someone had to keep their wits about them and without her present, it seemed it was falling down to me. Which just wasn’t fair. I was the one having these children. I should be the one allowed to lose their shit. Not my loopy-off-his-ass-on-some-potion husband, who was currently cheering me on as though I were playing in a quidditch match.

This was definitely not a quidditch match. It was infinitely more painful.

“Remarkable work, Pix!” Wills shouted joyfully as he grinned down at me and patted the top of my head. I rolled my eyes as I felt the next contraction coming, grimacing. Why on earth someone had thought it a good idea to give him a potion just before I gave birth, I’ll never know. But I had some words for whoever it was. He claimed it was a healer, but I highly suspected someone in my family. Likely Uncle George. I’d kill him when this was over with. If the bloody twins didn’t kill me first.

“I think we’re ready! Final push!” the healer said, looking up at me. That was another issue I hadn’t had time to deal with. My healer had disappeared just before I started pushing and this one had come in, saying she had been detained on another, more urgent case. Bloody hell. Was nothing going to go right with this? What would happen next? Would one of the twins get stuck?

I sat up and gritted my teeth, determination starting to fill me. I had won the League Cup and MVP. By Merlin, I could push out two babies and survive to tell the tale despite everything currently going wrong.

“Ready… and… push!”

I grunted as I started pushing, gripping Wills’ hand. If I was hurting him, he likely didn’t realize it as his head turned towards the lower part of the bed, his eyes wide in anticipation. 

“And…” a cry filled the room “Baby Boy 1 is out!” 

Wills immediately abandoned me, rushing down to the healer as she held up the first baby. I breathed heavily as I fell back against the pillows, tears filling my eyes. The first one was here. Finally. The healer quickly handed him off and I followed the other healer with my eyes, eager to see more of him.

“Is he okay?” I asked.

“Perfectly fine. Rest a bit and we’ll start on baby 2,” the healer said.

“Oh, he’s gorgeous, Pix,” Wills said, returning to my side. “He’s got your hair!” 

“More gingers,” I replied, still looking over where the other healer was cleaning him up as a smile filled my face. 

“And a metamorphmagus,” the healer shouted with a chuckle. I looked over at Wills, my eyes wide. At least one of them had inherited some of my gifts, it seemed. Er, well, suppose we could expect both of them to be metamorphmagi as they were identical.

“We always knew it was a possibility,” he said, leaning over to kiss my cheek. I grimaced, feeling another contraction coming.

“Seems No. 2 doesn’t want to wait long,” the healer said cheerfully. It was starting to get a bit grating, considering the amount of pain I was currently in. Why was the healer in such a damn happy mood? I sat up and positioned myself as I stared at her.

“Let’s do this,” I said, gritting my teeth again.

“That’s the spirit!” Wills shouted.

“Shut it, Wills,” I snapped, glaring at him. He just smiled and took my hand again. 

“And… push!”

I pushed with all the strength I had, hoping perhaps I’d get this one out in one go. If anyone could, it would be me, I thought.

“He’s crowning!” 

Immediately, Wills was gone, now standing and looking over the healer’s shoulder.

“More red hair!” he shouted in glee.

“They are identical!” I shouted.

“Have a rest, Daisy,” the healer ordered.

“No! I want him out now!” I retorted. 

“You need to rest!”

I huffed as I fell back against the pillows, muttering all sorts of curses under my breath. I didn’t need to rest, I needed to get the last baby out so I could finally give into the delirium of pain potion and stare at my sons for the rest of the night. 

And hopefully find someone who could give Wills something to counteract whatever he had taken earlier. I couldn’t help as I glanced towards the door, expecting Mum to rush in at any second. Where was she? Even Da hadn’t come in to tell me anything - hadn’t been much time with the healer switch and the pushing. For a moment, I started to worry. What if something had happened to Mum? She was 31 weeks pregnant and pushing it with all the activity tonight. Had she gotten hurt or taken ill? Or was something wrong with the babies?

“Alright, Mrs. Wills. I think we’re ready to get this last one out.”

I whipped my head back around as I started sitting up again, the healer helping to hold me up as Wills was practically useless at this point, still down looking over the healer’s shoulder like he was watching the bloody World Cup. I hoped he got nightmares from being down there once the potion wore off.

“And… PUSH!”

I grunted as I started pushing again, trying not to focus too much on the pain and more on the fact that my last son was about to join us and turn me and Wills into a family of four. For the time being I was actually happy to have Wills down there. His reaction helped me gauge just how far I was getting as his mouth dropped open and his eyes widened even more.

“And he’s here!” the healer said as another cry started up. Wills’ hands flew to his mouth as he watched her do whatever it was she was doing before she lifted the squirming baby up, his little face scrunched up as he wailed. The other was now quiet.

“That one is definitely Oliver,” I said as I fell back against my pillows. Wills didn’t say a word as tears poured down his cheeks and he followed the baby over to where he would join his brother in getting cleaned up. 

“Alright then, just need to take care of the after birth and then you’re done!” the healer chirped.

“Bloody fantastic…”

~~~

Once it was all over and done with and the healers had left Wills and I alone with the twins, I was soaring on a cloud of happiness. I knew logically it was likely due to the pain potion they had given me, but I didn’t care as I gazed down at my son. He was calmly lying in my arms, moving around every so often as I had seen other babies do. They both had heads of soft red curls, though I couldn’t yet tell their eye color. The one Wills had was currently fussing as he bounced him around lightly.

“They’re here, Pix,” he said, looking over at me. The potion had finally wore off, but he was still a mushy mess. At least he was my mushy mess.

“I know,” I whispered back, looking up at him, my own tears falling down my cheeks. I looked back down at the baby.

“Seems you’ve settled on names,” Wills commented. 

“Aye. Decided as soon as I saw them,” I replied. The door to my room opened and we both looked over, seeing Da pop his head in. 

“Safe to come in?” he asked, sounding much wearier than I felt. I nodded.

“Come meet your grandsons,” I replied. He quickly walked in and looked down at the bundle in my arms, tears quickly filling his eyes.

“He looks like you,” he said, grinning. Figured he’d be happy about that.

“They both do,” Wills said, beaming. Of course, he _was_ happy about it. Da looked up at him.

“Did you settle on names?” he asked. I glanced at Wills and nodded before looking down at my bundle.

“This… is Lucas Jonathon Wills,” I said, grinning. “Though figured we’d call him Luke for short, just so there’s no confusion with Coach.” Dad just blinked a few moments before reaching down and touching his chubby little cheek.

“Hello, Lucas… I’m your grandad,” he said softly, a wobbly smile on his face. I looked over at Wills, who I could tell was just bursting to tell him the other baby’s name.

“Go ahead,” I said, smiling. Wills quickly walked around the bed to Dad and handed over the baby, who suddenly stopped fussing as he looked up at him. I snorted softly. Of course, he’d take an immediate shining to Da. The two were already reaffirming that I chose their names correctly. 

“This is Oliver… Oliver Tobias Wills,” Wills said proudly. Dad looked up at him in shock and then over at me.

“Really?” he asked. 

“He came out screaming like a banshee while this one cried a bit and went all calm. Knew immediately that he,” I nodded my head towards the baby in his arms, “was going to be Oliver and this one was Lucas. And apparently, I was right. Been fussing up a storm until you took him.” 

Dad looked back down at the baby and started bouncing him slightly.

“Think he might be a keeper,” he said, his voice thick. Wills laughed as I rolled my eyes. Of course, the first thing he would think about was quidditch. And of course, because we named our son after him, he’d think he’d be a keeper.

“Could be a chaser like his dad,” I replied.

“Nah, I think your dad is right,” Wills said immediately. Both Dad and I just stared at him. All this time and he was still sucking up to him. “Or… we could just… let him decide.”

“Better,” I replied. I looked back down at Luke, starting to rock him gently. 

“Sure Coach, Toby and John’ll be honored,” Dad said, looking over at me. “What made you decide on those names?”

“Well… I wanted to name them after some of the best men that I know,” I said, smiling down at Lucas.

“And I agreed,” Wills said.

“What about naming one Bryan?” Dad asked.

“I hate my name,” Wills said, frowning.

“And he didn’t have a choice,” I added, looking back up at them. Dad chuckled as he stared down at the baby. There was a flash of something across his face as he looked towards the door and then back down at Oliver. It was then I realized that Mum was still missing. My heart lurched a bit. Something had happened.

“Where’s Mum? She still with Lila?” I asked. Dad didn’t look at me, just continued rocking the baby. “Da?”

“There was… a complication,” he started. Immediately I sat up in the bed.

“What happened?”

“The healer said that she’s doing her best, but I don’t really know much at the moment,” Dad said, handing the baby back to Wills and starting towards the door.

“Don’t you dare walk out of this room without telling me!” I shouted, causing both babies to start crying. Dad stopped and turned to look at me, the weariness sinking back in.

“I’ll know more later,” he said before leaving. I looked at Wills who was trying to calm down Oliver.

“I’m sure she’s fine, Pix,” he said.

“Wills… please… go find out… I can’t lose Mum,” I said, the tears starting up again. He walked over and kissed my forehead.

“I’ll just take little Ollie for a walk and we’ll find out, won’t we,” he said to the baby as he started towards the door.

“You did not just call my son Ollie,” I said, frowning. Sounded like a horrid nickname.

“I think it suits him,” Wills replied. I sighed and shook my head.

“Could you get my brothers?” I called out. He stopped and looked over at me, nodding. He then walked out, leaving me alone with a crying Lucas.

“Oh, hush now, my darling. Mummy didn’t mean to frighten you,” I crooned to him as I started rocking him again. “Don’t worry… I’m sure Gran is just fine…”

~~~

_Jamie Wood  
_ _Oct. 27, 2029_

I grunted and bit my tongue as Lila squeezed my hand with more strength than I thought possible for someone of her size. I looked over at Marcus, who appeared to be regretting his decision to stay in there with me. But with Mum off somewhere - likely with Pix - Lila had insisted he stay. She needed the support. And I’ll be damned if either of us were about to argue with her at this point. I had already given her enough grief as it was with the whole potion mix-up, even if it wasn’t completely my fault.

“You’re doing lovely, Lila,” the healer said. “Rest a bit before we try pushing again.”

Lila breathed heavily as she looked over at me, a tense smile on her face. 

“She’s almost here,” I said, suddenly feeling rather nervous as I patted her hand. I then froze.

Blimey, Marjorie was going to be here in a matter of minutes. Were we _really_ ready for this? Parenthood? Was there any way we could wait just a bit longer? Bloody hell, I was about to be a father. To a small human being. What if I accidentally hurt her? Or dropped her?

“Jamie… I can barely handle this. I need you to help me stay calm,” Lila replied, now frowning at me. Oh, bugger. I hadn’t meant to do that. Even though I had long gotten my gifts under control I still projected my thoughts or feelings from time to time through our connection when I was under stress.

“Yes. Right,” I said, immediately sending calming vibes to her. She visibly relaxed, though she was still in pain.

“Didn’t necessarily mean that way, but I think it is helping,” she said. I looked over and quickly sent them Marcus’ way, feeling he probably needed it more than Lila. He, too, seemed to visibly relax. 

“Ehm… what exactly is going on,” the healer said, a dazed look on her face. Oh shit. Too much calming going on in the room. I quickly retracted it from her. She shook her head and looked over at me.

“Sorry… got a bit carried away,” I said with a weak smile. “Bit of a gift of mine.”

“Oh, I didn’t mind,” she replied. “Could use it more often in my line of work.”

“Oh god,” Lila moaned.

“Right, let’s get this baby out,” the healer said, returning to the task at hand. Marcus and I helped Lila up as a determined look came over her face. She focused ahead on the healer. “Okay… and… push!”

A roar erupted from Lila’s lips like I had never heard before - and that’s saying something considering I play professional quidditch. I immediately whipped my head around to look at her, seeing her breathing hard as she grit her teeth and her face turned slightly red. Bloody hell, the books did not say anything about this.

“And… she’s here!” the healer said. Lila fell back on the bed as Marcus and I both looked over. Tears immediately filled my eyes as I saw my daughter for the first time. She was squirming around, fussing as the healer handed her over to a nurse, who started walking away. I barely got a good look at her and wanted immediately to follow but stayed put.

“Where are they taking her?” Marcus asked worriedly.

“Just cleaning her up a bit,” the healer said. I looked back down at Lila, both of us grinning madly.

“Go see her,” she said softly. I nodded eagerly and walked across the room to where the nurse was gently wiping her down with a cloth. Marjorie was still crying and squirming. She had a full head of dark curls, though her little eyes were screwed shut. I continued watching her, waiting for some sort of telltale sign of my gifts, but nothing happened. Perhaps she hadn’t inherited them, though we wouldn’t know for sure until she was older. 

Once the nurse had finished cleaning her up and taking care her measurements, she wrapped her up in a blanket and and looked over at me.

“Would you like to hold your daughter?” she asked, looking up at me expectantly. I nodded, unable to speak as she handed me the small bundle. Marjorie had stopped crying and looked up at me. 

“Hi, Marjorie,” I said softly, gently touching her cheek. “Let’s go see Mummy.” 

By the time I walked back over to Lila, she was lying comfortably in bed, likely just taken some pain potion. I sat on the edge of the bed as she leaned up and peered down at her. 

“Hello my love,” she softly. On my other side, I heard Marcus step up and peer down at her. 

“This is your Grandad Marcus,” I said. 

“Hi, Marjorie,” he said softly. “Blimey, she looks just like you Lila.” Lila chuckled, her eyes fixed on the baby. 

“Not completely. My hair was never curly,” she said, running her fingers over her head as the baby yawned. “And she has Jamie’s nose, I think.”

“Either way, she’s perfect,” I said, feeling the tears starting to streak down my cheeks. Hell, I was worse than Dad. But I couldn’t help it. I was finally holding my daughter. “And apparently sleepy…”

“Suppose being born does take it out of you,” Lila replied. “Certainly, taken it out of me.” She laid back down against the pillows, looking a bit peaky. I leaned over and kissed her head. 

“Get some rest. I’ll take Marjorie out to meet the family,” I said softly. She smiled softly as she nodded. I then turned and walked out of the room, leaving Marcus to chat with Lila. The entire way down to the waiting room, I stared down at Marjorie, in awe of the fact that she was finally here.

I heard excited voices as I turned into the room, seeing Wills there with the entire family crowded around him. 

“Is that Marjorie?” Laura asked, running up to me. “Oh, she’s precious!”

Wills followed, a bundle in his arms. I looked over, catching a shock of red, curly hair. 

“Let’s meet your cousin, Ollie,” he said lightly, looking down at Marjorie. 

“Ollie?” I asked, raising my eyebrows. 

“Short for Oliver. Pretty sure Pix already hates it,” he said. “She’s got Lucas in the room with her.”

“You named them Oliver and Lucas?” I asked, starting to chuckle. Seemed like Pix. Naming her sons after her two coaches. I looked around the room as everyone crowded around the two of us, oo-ing and ah-ing about the babies. I then noticed that Dad wasn’t about, and nor was Mum. Were they in with Pix? I looked over at Wills.

“Where’s Mum and Dad?” I asked. Wills grimaced as he glanced around, looking a bit guilty about something. “Wills?”

“Right… forgot about that… must have gotten sidetracked,” he said. He stepped closer, dropping his voice so that only I could hear. “Pix wanted me to get you, Remus and Alan and track down a healer.” I frowned. That didn’t sound good. Oliver started fussing grabbing Wills’ attention. 

“What’s going on?” I asked, my heart starting to race. Was something wrong with Mum or the babies?

“Come on,” Wills said, nodding towards the door. “Oi! Remus! Alan! Follow me! You sister has summoned you!”

A million different scenarios flew through my head as we started down the empty hallway. Did she go into early labor? Had she gotten hurt? I nervously looked over at Wills.

“Blimey, Jamie. Calm down,” Remus said, breaking my thoughts. I looked over at him and Alan, noticing their identical looks of discomfort.

“Sorry,” I said. “Been doing it all day…”

“We’re not sure what’s going on… yet,” Wills said.

“It’ll be fine,” Alan said. “Mum’s a strong sort.” I nodded and looked down at Marjorie.

“Right… of course…”


	23. The Last Woods for Now

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Obviously, I don't own anything created by J.K. Rowling, but I do own the Wood kids and other OCs. Ah, and the story.
> 
> Setting: Next Generation (Post-Hogwarts - Mostly Original Characters)  
> Genre: Humor  
> Rating: M (Language)

_Oliver Wood  
_ _Oct. 27, 2029_

I couldn’t help as every possibility ran through my head. It was the first time that I hadn’t been let into the room and without being there, I had no way to know what was going on. Which only fed into my fear. 

I did not live this long and had gone through everything that I had gone through with Red only to lose her now. Or the twins. Merlin, this was going to kill me by the end of it.

Suddenly, I heard a cry pierce the air. I stopped, staring at the door a moment before edging closer to it. Then there was a second cry. They were here. My twins were here, and I was stuck on the other side of a door. Bugger. Those were my children and my wife in there - I’ll be damned if they were going to keep me from them. 

Just as I reached the door, it opened and the weary looking healer stopped, not expecting me to be standing right there. 

“Mr. Wood. How long have you been waiting here?” the healer asked.

“Nearly the whole time. Checked on the girls first,” I said. “How is she? How are the twins?” She sighed and smiled tiredly.

“It was as I expected. The placenta ripped, but we got them out in time,” she said. “They are rather tiny and they’ll need to stay here with us a few weeks, but they should be just fine.” I nodded glancing towards the door.

“Can I see them?” I asked.

“Not just yet. We’re taking care of Mrs. Wood and the twins are in incubators now,” she said. “But you can see them very soon. If you’ll excuse me.” She then quickly walked down the hall, heading towards the nursery. I stepped back and leaned against the wall, my eyes trained on the door. I had been up for nearly 24 hours at this point, but I didn’t care. I couldn’t sleep when the people I loved most were in such precarious situations. The door opened and two healers came out, levitating two large contraptions between them. Immediately I was up, walking towards them.

“Is that the twins?” I asked, trying to get a good look at them.

“Yes, Mr. Wood, but we must get them to the nursery,” the first healer said. “Mrs. Wood is awake if you’d like to see her.” They then hurried off down the hall. I looked back at the door and took a deep breath before pushing it open and walking in. Iris was staring out a window, looking rather tired and worn.

“Red?” I said softly. She turned her head and smiled softly at me. I quickly made my way to her side, sitting in a chair there. 

“Did you see them?” she asked.

“Not really. They were in a hurry to get to the nursery,” I replied. “You?”

“Not much,” she said with a sigh.

“How are you feeling?” I asked. 

“Been better,” she said. “But all that matters is that we’re all going to be okay.” I nodded. 

“Healer said they’d need to stay a couple weeks,” I said, worry still coursing through me. Red reached out to my cheek.

“They’ll be fine. Just a bit early, is all,” she said. “If they are anything like our other children they’ll be out of here in no time.” I nodded as I placed my hand on hers.

“I thought I was going to lose you. All three of you,” I said softly, my voice cracking. Iris chuckled.

“You should know by now that I’m one tough cookie, Oliver William Wood,” she said. “Wasn’t going down without a fight. Neither were they. They are half you and half me.” I could help but chuckle as I nodded.

“That is true,” I said. “I saw the others… they’re all healthy and happy.”

“I hate that I couldn’t be there for Daisy and Lila,” Iris said, frowning slightly.

“They understand,” I said immediately. “Blimey, they have to.” 

“I know, but I wanted to see our grandchildren come into the world,” she said. 

“Sure, you’ll have plenty of other chances. We now have six children,” I said. It was true. Bloody hell, we were going to have tons of grandkids by the end of this. The thought just hit me. I sat back in my chair, my eyes widening. 

We now have six children. Merlin…

“Just now hit you?” Iris asked with a laugh. I could only nod. “It’ll be fine. We’ve done this before…”

“I know,” I said, shaking my head. “Six kids…”

“Surprised you’re not wishing it was triplets so you’d have your team,” Iris joked. “And no, we’re not having anymore. Rosie and Davie are it.”

“I wasn’t going to… six is enough,” I said. Iris smiled up at me and I couldn’t help as I leaned over to kiss her. Blimey, I loved this woman. Just as I settled back in my chair, there was a knock on the door. We both looked over. “Come in!”

The door opened and Alan poked his head in.

“You up for visitors?” he asked, a worried expression on his face. I nodded. He pushed the door open and all our other children filed in, with Wills pushing Daisy in a wheelchair. She had a bundle in her arms, as did Jamie and Remus. 

“Though you might like to meet your grandkids,” Daisy said with a smile, though she was scanning the room. 

“They took them to the nursery. Suspect we should be able to see them in a bit,” Iris said as she pushed up in the bed.

“You already had them?” Alan asked, his eyes wide. I nodded.

“Placenta ripped. Had to get them out quickly,” I replied. “But they’re fine. Healthy. Just have to stay here a bit until they’re big enough to go home.” The group made their way over. Iris’ eyes started tearing up. Jamie stepped over first, holding out Marjorie. Iris took the baby into her arms. 

“Oh, she’s lovely, Jamie,” she said, staring down at the baby. “Hello, Marjorie…”

“This is your gran,” Jamie said. 

“I don’t feel nearly old enough to be Gran,” Iris said with a chuckle. “Even with Gavin.”

“Perhaps they should call you something else,” I suggested, wiping my face. “Mimi? Nanny?” Iris chuckled.

“Gran is fine,” she replied. 

“Our turn!” Daisy said. Jamie took Marjorie from Iris as Remus walked over to the other side of the bed and Wills lifted the baby from Daisy’s arms and stepped up to the bed.

“May I introduce Oliver and Lucas Wills,” Wills said grandly, beaming in pride at his sons.

“Oliver and Lucas, is it?” Iris asked, glancing at Daisy.

“Wills has already been calling him Ollie,” she said, rolling her eyes slightly.

“You’ve been calling him Luke,” Wills said frowning slightly.

“We’ll work on the nicknames,” Daisy said. Iris just chuckled as she took in her grandchildren. 

“They look just like you, Daisy,” she said. 

“Wonderful, isn’t it?” Wills asked. Daisy just stared at her husband, a small smile on his face. 

I had to agree. While I’m sure they would have been just as handsome if they took after Wills, I was happy that Pix’s first kids looked like her. I couldn’t help but imagine what they’d look like as they grew. It was hard to imagine at first - two masculine versions of Pix. Perhaps they’d take after Wills in height and build. In that regard, Pix had it right. They probably would be good chasers. As for Marjorie… I could see her as a chaser as well. I had a feeling with the three born on the same day, they were going to be rather close. I could also see Luke and Ollie becoming protective order brother-types to their cousin. Likely to their aunt as well.

“I can see that as well,” Iris said, getting my attention. I looked over at her, seeing her smile. She glanced around the group, likely projecting my thoughts.

“Don’t worry, Jamie. I’m sure Luke and Ollie will look out for Marjorie at school,” Wills said. Jamie’s eyes widened slightly.

“They were just born today. Let’s not get ahead of ourselves,” he said, causing everyone to chuckle. 

“Oh, dear. Didn’t realize you’d all be in here.” 

We turned, seeing Iris’ healer there, a wheelchair with her. “Just thought we could take a trip down to the nursery to meet your son and daughter.” I looked around the room and then back at her. 

“I think that’s a glorious idea…”

~~~

I stood nervously looking down at the two little ones in the - what did they call them? Ah, right - incubators. They seemed impossibly tiny. Much, much tinier than even Pix. But then again, they were much earlier than we were expecting. 

My eyes first fell on Davie, who was calmly lying there, looking around the room. I swore his eyes met mine for a moment. I couldn’t tell the color just yet, but he had my hair - or at least I thought it would be. It was fine and brown, though lacked the curl that all our other children seemed to have inherited. Perhaps he’d turn out looking just like me. He turned his wee head to look over at his sister, his hair suddenly going bright red, causing Iris to chuckle.

“Well… one of them has something…” she replied.

I couldn’t speak as I turned my gaze over at Rosie - my little Rosie - she was kicking up at storm as though she couldn’t stand to be in some tiny box. Her eyes were roaming around, taking everything in. Or as much as she could. If I remembered correctly, they couldn’t see that far at this age. Her bright red hair was a mess of curls.

“Think she’s definitely going to be a quidditch player,” I choked out, looking over at Iris. She just smiled in return. “Look at that energy.”

“Have a feeling if she’s anything like her older sister, she’s going to keep us on our toes,” she replied.

“Perhaps Davie’ll help keep her in line,” I said. 

“Would you like to hold them?” the healer asked. I whipped my head over to look at her. 

“Is it… we won’t hurt them?” I asked, thinking about their small size. They looked as though one wrong move would break them. The healer chuckled.

“It’s perfectly fine,” she said, moving to the boxes. She tapped them and they both opened. She then reached down and picked up Davie, turning and handing him to Iris. Returning to the boxes, she picked up Rosie and handed her to me. I could barely feel her in my arms, she was so light.

“Hello, Rosie,” I said softly, feeling the tears well up again. Merlin, the kids were going to give me hell about this later. They were all outside watching us through a windo. Rosie stopped kicking and calmly looked up at me before smiling brightly. I couldn’t help but chuckle.

“I think she likes you,” Iris said. 

“She remembers me, I think,” I said. Iris stared at the baby a moment.

“She loves you… recognizes your voice,” she said. I looked over at her. Forgot about that bit. It had come in handy with the other kids. While they didn’t have words at this age, she could still gauge their wants and needs though her gift. I looked back down at Rosie.

“I’m your Da,” I said softly, starting to rock her a bit. “And just outside are loads of people eager to meet you.” I moved to sit down in a chair next to Iris, looking over at Davie. “He looks like he’s going to be a good strong lad.”

“I’m sure he will, if he’s anything like his father,” Iris said, now staring down at him, a soft smile on her face. She gently touched his cheeks and then his nose. “I think he’s going to look just like you.”

“And this one like you,” I said, looking back down at Rosie. I could feel Iris eyes on me and looked up, meeting them.

“So… these are the last Woods,” she said. I glanced towards the window, seeing all our other children and their spouses looking in. 

“At least for now…”

~~~

_Daisy Wood_

“Pix, you should stay seated,” Wills said as I pushed up out of the wheelchair.

“I’m fine. I want to see my little sister and brother,” I replied, ignoring him. Besides, his arms were full with the twins so it wasn’t like he could do anything about it.

“Look, Gavin… that’s your new aunt and uncle,” Laura said, the sleepy tot on her hip.

“Just need to get Alan and Bridget to have one now,” Remus said from her side, looking over at the two at the other end of the group.

“Not yet,” they said in unison. I could help but chuckle as I looked back into the nursery. I couldn’t get a good look at them and wished Mum and Dad would bring them over to the window.

“I can’t see them,” I whined. As if they could hear me, Mum and Dad slowly stood and started over to the window. Once they reached it, I could feel the tears fill my eyes. My hand went to my mouth as I looked down at them. It was clear who they took after.

“Look, it’s your aunt and uncle,” Wills said softly, stepping closer with the twins. “That’s David and Rose…”

“Davie and Rosie,” I corrected, remembering what Mum and Dad had called them.

“They’re so tiny,” Alan murmured.

“They were born about eight weeks early,” Jamie said.

“Aren’t they precious,” Lila said. I put my hand to the window as I looked down at little Rosie, already thinking of all the tricks I’d teach her when she was older. All the advice I’d give her. We were still heavily outnumbered in the house and I felt like she was going to need an older sister to deal with Dad’s craziness once she got older, if he treated her anything like me.

“How tall you think they’re going to be?” Remus asked. 

“Dunno,” Jamie said. 

“He’ll probably be tall like you lot,” Laura said with a chuckle.

“You never know… Rosie could be tall as well,” I said, glancing at her. 

“She’s already taken after you and Iris. Might be a wee thing,” Remus said, smiling slightly. I just shrugged as I looked back at the babies.

“I think she’s going to be tough,” I said. “Like me and Mum.”

“Dad’s going to have his hands full… with the both of them… at least I think so,” Alan said. He leaned closer to the window. “We’ve got so much to teach you, little ones.” Dad frowned at him through the glass.

“Do not think you’re going to teach them pranks,” we could hear him said. I looked over at Alan, who was sharing a look with Remus and Jamie. Even though they were 28, they still had their mischievous streak. That would likely never change. I looked back into the nursery, meeting Dad’s eyes as an impish grin fill my face. 

“So much for us to teach them…”

~~~

_Jamie Wood_

Lila was dozing off on the bed as I slowly walked around the room with Marjorie. After we had met Davie and Rosie, the family took turns coming in to see the baby. It had been long and tiring - it was still the wee hours of the morning, after all. But finally, they had all gone home. Marcus went to shower and said he’d be back shortly, but I told him to get some rest while he was at the house. We’d be fine for the time being.

And now it was just me and Marjorie. She was sleeping soundly in my arms, though I still couldn’t bring myself to put her down just yet. I still felt slightly overwhelmed at the idea that I was now a father, but looking down at her, I couldn’t help as a huge wave of love poured through me. This tiny creature was my daughter. I could scarce believe that I was finally holding her.

My thoughts turned to Davie and Rosie, tucked into their heated beds in the nursery. The healers said they would be fine to go in with Mum and Dad a bit here and there, but they would need to meet a few milestones before they could take them home. I wasn’t sure if I could handle that. I was ready to get Lila and Marjorie back to our place right that minute, though we’d even need to wait a couple days yet. At least they let us keep Marjorie with us.

I sat down in a rocking chair, still gazing down at the sleeping form in my arms. She stirred a bit and then opened her eyes. I held my breath, worried she start crying and wake up Lila, but she just stared up at me.

“Looks like it’s just me and you, little one,” I said softly, glancing over at Lila and then back down at her. “Mummy’s getting some much-needed rest.” I started rocking slowly, still looking down at the baby. “Today was certainly a day, wasn’t it? You decided to come, and then your cousins… and then your aunt and uncle didn’t want to be left out…”

The baby just continued to watch me.

“I have a feeling Christmas is going to be very chaotic from now on… though it’s always been that way, I suppose,” I said, chuckling softly. “Probably going to take some time to remember everyone’s names, but you’ll get the hang of it… going to have loads of cousins to play with… Already several and likely more to come.”

I swore she smiled at me, and I stopped rocking as I stared down at her. I then focused my thoughts, wondering what I would see in her head. 

Rather than words, I got a sense of feelings. She was happy, content. She recognized my voice. A smile came over my face. 

“Yea… you remember me, don’t you? I’m your daddy,” I said softly. “And I will always be here for you, Marjorie. To look out for you, protect you. Anything you need…” 

“She is lucky to have you as a father.”

I looked up, seeing Lila on her side, watching us. I stood and walked over, gently placing Marjorie on the bed next to her. 

“Hello, Marjorie. Are you keeping Daddy awake?” she asked softly. 

“She was asleep. Just woke up,” I said. Lila glanced up at me and then back down at the baby.

“Seems you had nothing to worry about. You’re already a natural,” she said. 

“Still not sure about that. We’re not home yet. Could be something completely different,” I replied, thinking about the coming months. Getting up at all hours of the night to change nappies and feed her. The crying. The tantrums. 

There was a lot more to come.

“You’ll be fine,” Lila said. I looked at her. “We all will.” I nodded and looked back down at Marjorie.

“How is it possible to love someone this much?” I asked softly. Lila chuckled.

“I know… suppose that’s just what it’s like to become a parent,” she said.

“Aye… suppose it is…”


	24. Epilogue

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Obviously, I don't own anything created by J.K. Rowling, but I do own the Wood kids and other OCs. Ah, and the story.
> 
> Setting: Next Generation (Post-Hogwarts - Mostly Original Characters)  
> Genre: Humor  
> Rating: M (Language)

_September 1, 2040_

“LUKE! OLLIE! GET BACK HERE!” 

“YES, MUM!”

The twins slid to a stop and turned around, wearing identical grins with their curly red hair going in wild directions. It had taken Daisy practically stunning them to get them to sit still enough for their haircut just before heading off to their first year at Hogwarts. The two would have rather gone with their curls down to their necks if Daisy would have let them.

To say that she now had a new appreciation for her parents was an understatement. 

While identical, Ollie and Luke were very different - much like her brothers were. However, that didn’t stop the two from getting into as much trouble as they could. Usually at the expense of their two little sisters. Though Daisy suspected it could be more trouble, considering Luke had the ability to talk his twin out of some of his more elaborate ploys. 

“Mummy! I want to go to Hogwarts too!” 8-year-old Heather whined as she trotted to keep up with her parents, her blonde ponytail swinging behind her. Daisy was currently pushing the trolley with the boys’ things piled on it, claiming she needed the workout since she was taking the day off from practice to see her sons off to their first year at Hogwarts. Coach Nilsson had willingly obliged, seeing how many Cups she had won the Arrows over the years - and helped Scotland finally win the World Cup in 2034. Even though she was currently 37, Daisy was still considered the top seeker in the League, much to her cousin Lily’s chagrin. The fiery daughter of Harry Potter was currently on maternity leave with her second child, though she vowed that she would be back soon enough to contest Daisy’s claim.

Daisy doubted that.

“You have to wait a bit longer, my princess,” Wills said, scooping his youngest up and placing her on his shoulders, causing her to giggle. Daisy chuckled as she saw 9-year-old Brianna wrinkle her nose from the corner of her eye. She had inherited Daisy’s disdain for the pet name, as well as her countenance and looks. Heather, on the other hand, felt she was the princess of the family, being the youngest and only one to take after Wills in looks. She got away with most of her shenanigans just by batting her eyelashes at her father while her blue eyes filled with tears, having learned how to cry on command early on.

Both of his daughters did, to be honest, though Brianna was certainly the most sensible of the bunch, already focused on her future quidditch career while all Heather wanted to do was play with dolls or her many cousins.

Daisy had to admit that when she and Wills had talked about children all those years ago, she hadn’t expected to have four. But now that they were getting older, she had decided four was the perfect number. Helped that they had two boys and two girls. And they ended up with three quidditch fanatics, which Daisy figured was better than four. She wasn’t sure if she could handle all of them playing with her connections going off as much as they did already. She now felt a deeper connection with her father as Brianna got bolder and bolder on her broom. The twins as well. They were set to try-out as chasers already.

“Mum, can I go to practice with you tomorrow?” Brianna asked, turning her bright green eyes to her mother. 

“I thought you wanted to go with Daddy and Heather to Puddlemere?” Daisy asked, glancing down at her. Brianna scrunched up her nose and shook her head.

“It’s more fun with you and the Arrows,” she said decidedly. She glanced over at Wills, who was watching her with an amused look on his face. “Besides… Daddy shows off too much,” she whispered. Daisy chuckled as she glanced over at her husband. Even though he had finally retired from playing about five years ago and become Oliver’s head chaser coach and recruiter, it seemed he loved getting up on a broom and showboating whenever his children were around. She had already heard complaints from her father about it.

Mostly along the lines of how was he supposed to pass on the head coach position for Puddlemere to a man who thought he could still do flips in the air at the age of 50. Daisy pointed out that Oliver was still playing in the summer picnic tournament AND family Christmas tournament at the age of 63, which had shut him up fairly quickly.

“Suppose you could come. If you promise to be good,” Daisy said, looking back down at her, knowing that her daughter would be too enthralled with watching the team to get into any trouble. Brianna’s face lit up as she then turned to her brothers, her grin turning smug.

“That’s not fair! You hardly ever take us with you!” Ollie shouted, his hair turning bright orange.

“Yea! We only got to go once at the beginning of summer!” Luke added, his hair matching his brother’s. “Bree’s got to go LOADS of times!”

“That’s because you two had half the team vomiting the last time I brought you,” Daisy said with a sigh. Luke scowled at his brother.

“I told you giving them Uncle George’s sweets was a bad idea,” he said. “This is your fault!”

“You thought it was funny and helped me,” Ollie retorted. 

“You’re lucky Coach will even let you back to the stadium after that,” Daisy said. Both boys turned to look at her, eyes wide in fear. 

“He was going to ban us?” Ollie asked, stricken.

“Forever?” Luke added. Daisy just shrugged, a small smile on her face. Immediately the twins became the picture of innocence and dutifulness.

“Want help, Mum?” Ollie asked.

“Yea, we can push the trolley,” Luke said, the two of them running up to her.

“It’s fine, we’re almost there. Besides, don’t you want to go say hi to your cousins?” Daisy asked, looking towards a crowd already on the platform. It seemed her family was destined to create a scene wherever they went. The boys looked over, then grinned at each other before running off. 

“Did Coach Nilsson really threaten to ban them?” Wills asked, stepping up to her.

“No, he thought it was rather funny as well. Only because he had passed on the chocolates,” Daisy said, glancing at him. Wills just chuckled and kissed her cheek. 

“And you wonder where they got their mischievous streak,” he replied. Daisy just chuckled as she looked over, seeing her brothers and their families near the train. She started grinning even more when she saw Alan standing in the middle of a mass of little girls.

“And to think that you wanted all girls,” Daisy said.

“Still think it wasn’t a bad idea,” Wills said. “Though certainly not five…”

Alan and Bridget seemed to make up for lost time once they started their family. The triplets - Blair, Freya and Kyla - were born just two years after the twins, then Kenzie and Moira followed quickly after, just one year apart. Bridget had put her foot down after Moira, sending Alan off to “take care of things” lest she end up perpetually pregnant.

“I always knew he’d be the one to end up with triplets… and the most children of all of us,” Daisy said. “Serves him right that he had all little girls considering how much grief he put me through growing up.”

“Thought he was the one who talked you down in school?” Wills asked. 

“Alone, he was fine. But all three of them together…” Daisy said.

“Didn’t think you were coming,” Wills said to Alan as they reached the group, though he shot a grin towards Daisy.

“Had to see my niece and nephews off to their first year of school. Not to mention my little brother and sister,” Alan replied as little Moira stomped on his foot and glared up at him, her brown curls pulled up into a high ponytail. “What is it, darling?” Alan asked with a grimace as he looked down at her. She only held her hands up and he sighed before reaching down and lifting her up into his arms.

“Not fair!” Kyla shouted. “I want on your shoulders!”

“Yea, me too!” Blair shouted. Soon there was a chorus of “not fair!” going through all of them. Alan just sighed and shook his head as Bridget laughed. He looked over at Daisy. 

“Swear it’s you times five,” he said. Daisy snorted as she looked at her nieces.

“No… that’s all you,” she replied. “Though suppose Bridget’s in there somewhere…” 

“The troublesome bit is most definitely Alan,” Bridget said as Freya walked over and started talking to Brianna about the latest Puddlemere match. Daisy watched them warily, knowing it could quickly divulge into a loud argument - while best friends, Brianna was a diehard Arrows fan while Freya swore she bled navy and gold. Of the triplets, Freya appeared the only one with the quidditch bug.

“Where’s Mum and Dad?” Daisy asked, looking around.

“Suspect they’ll be here soon,” Alan said. Daisy looked over and watched as Ollie and Luke walked up to Gavin, who was starting his second year, while Remus and Laura walked towards Daisy and Wills, their youngest Calem making his way towards his big brother and the twins, who he considered his idols. He’d be starting Hogwarts in two years along with Brianna, the triplets and Jamie’s second, Michael.

“Well… this certainly brings back memories,” Jamie said brightly, looking over at Daisy as Michael hid at his side; the child was incredibly shy and the quietest of the entire lot. Jamie was holding his youngest Camille while Lila bent down and spoke softly to Marjorie, who was looking slightly petrified at the prospect of her first year at Hogwarts. She kept casting worried glances towards the train and then towards Ollie and Luke.

“Don’t worry, Marjorie! If Luke and Ollie try anything, you can owl me and I’ll take care of it,” Daisy called out, her eyes flashing red as she glanced at her sons, who both jumped slightly. The little girl began smiling as Lila mouthed “thank you.”

“Weren’t there more when you lot went off to school?” Wills asked.

“Oh, give it a minute,” Remus said lightly.

Sure enough, not a minute later, the platform became impossibly crowded as the rest of the Weasley-Potter clan showed up, their children in tow. To be honest, Daisy wasn’t completely sure just how they managed holidays every year. Nearly everyone was married with children now, save James who was determined to be the “cool” uncle. Granted even he had been dating the same witch for the last three years and Daisy was sure it wouldn’t be long before he popped the question.

“Blimey… it’s like Christmas all over again,” Wills said, his eyes wide. 

“The difference is, we get to send them all off and finally get some peace and quiet,” Lucy said as she walked up and hugged Daisy. “Save you lot… you’re stuck with yours for a few more years yet.” She looked over at Alan and his gaggle of little girls and chuckled.

“At least Bree and Heather are easier to look after than the twins,” Wills said. He then froze a moment, as though he hadn’t meant to say it out loud. Brianna just laughed as she looked over at her father and Heather giggled, kicking her feet.

“Where’s Ailis and Brendan?” Daisy asked. Lucy looked around a bit.

“Ah, with Gavin and Marcelle,” she said. Daisy looked over, seeing a small group beginning to form around Ollie and Luke. Even though they were younger than Gavin, Brendan and Dominique’s Derek, the twins were already the ringleaders - much how her brothers had been back in the day. Though from the determined look coming over Brianna’s face at that very moment, Daisy suspected she intended to dethrone them once she started school.

“Looks like you’re going to end up with Gryffindors,” Dominique said with a smirk as she walked up and looked over at Wills. He frowned.

“They could still be Slytherin,” he replied. 

“No, they take after Daisy too much. They’ll be Gryffindor for sure,” Molly said as she and her husband walked up next. “All of ours are. It’s practically a family tradition.”

“Sure Albus’ will be Slytherin,” Daisy said. “And there’s still loads more children who haven’t started yet. We don’t know what Rose, Roxanne, Freddie, Hugo or Lily’s will be.”

“Oh, I do,” Lucy said. “Roxanne, Lily and Freddie most definitely have Gryffindors, suppose Albus and Rose could end up with Slytherins and Hugo… for some reason I see them as Hufflepuffs…”

“I’ll be Slytherin, Daddy!” Heather chirped from Wills’ shoulders. He grinned at her, happy that he might actually get one Slytherin of the lot, though he had long made peace with the fact he had married into Gryffindor central. 

“Not me. I’m going to be Gryffindor like Mum,” Brianna said. “And I’ll be seeker too!” Heather just rolled her eyes.

“Always quidditch,” she complained as she crossed her arms in front of her, causing the adults to laugh. 

“Haven’t missed the train, have we?” a deep voice boomed behind them. The group turned, watching as Oliver and Iris walked up, Oliver pushing a trolley with two trunks on it and trying to cover the fact he was struggling with it a bit. While they both still looked much younger than they were, the years were finally starting to catch up to them a bit with Oliver’s hair more grey than brown now, though Iris’ was still a vibrant shade of red. Daisy suspected part of that had to do with her mother’s metamorphmagus skills, though could easily have to do with the Prostatis gene. 

And while the quidditch world had been speculating for ages just when he’d retire for good, Daisy knew that this was likely to be her father’s last year coaching. In the runup to the twins starting Hogwarts, Oliver and Iris had been talking more and more about finally retiring so they could spend their days traveling when Davie and Rosie weren’t home. Freddie and Christos had taken on more responsibility at the shop so that Iris didn’t need to work there as much. She had been gradually doing less and less over the years as she focused on the twins.

And even if he didn’t like to admit, Daisy knew her father was getting tired and ready to step away from the quidditch pitch. Well… at least the professional quidditch. He’d likely devote his new free time to continuing Davie and Rosie’s training, as well as his grandchildren’s. Outside of Ollie, Luke, Brianna and Freya, Gavin and Michael were showing promise in the sport. How many would end up playing professionally was anyone’s guess, though. 

Though Daisy was fairly sure at least Brianna and Rosie would. Probably Ollie and Luke as well, judging by how seriously they took Little League.

“Not yet,” Daisy said, stepping over and hugging first her mother and then her father. She then turned, seeing Rosie and Davie just behind them. Rosie was practically bouncing on her toes while Davie had a mildly concerned look on his face.

“PIX!” Rosie shouted before launching herself towards her older sister, a wide grin on her face. 

“Are you ready?” Daisy asked, looking down at her little sister. Rosie nodded vigorously, though glanced over at her brother. 

“I keep telling him there’s nothing to worry about, but he won’t listen,” she said, sounding slightly exasperated. 

“Nothing to be scared about,” Jamie said, stepping over to his youngest siblings, Remus and Alan quickly following after Alan had handed Moira off to Bridget and Jamie handed Camille to Lila. The four shared a special bond with the two, being so much older. Though Daisy had to admit that it was at times odd, considering they were the same age as Ollie and Luke. However, as with all things in their family, everyone had just accepted the odd as normal.

It helped that they got along well with their nieces and nephews - Rosie was practically inseparable from Ollie, Luke and Brianna. And wherever Rosie went, Davie followed, meaning Daisy and Wills saw the youngest Wood siblings more often than the others.

“But what if I’m put in a different house?” Davie asked, his eyes wide as they changed to a dull grey.

“We’ll be together, _obviously_ ,” Rosie huffed. “All of us.” 

“Even if you are in a different house, it’s not like you’ll never see anyone,” Jamie said reasonably. “Hogwarts isn’t that big.”

“And then you won’t have to compete with Ollie and Luke for all the girls in Gryffindor,” Alan said, winking at him. 

“Alan!” Daisy shouted, though she was laughing. She then turned back to her little brother. “I promise, wherever you’re put, you’ll have loads of fun.” 

“Really?” Davie asked. Daisy nodded. 

“Time to get on the train,” Oliver said, starting to usher his children down the platform as Iris levitated their trunks and loaded them on. 

“And what did I tell you, Rosie!” she shouted as the twins started towards Ollie, Luke and the others. Rosie stopped, huffed, and turned to face her mother.

“No reading the professors’ minds,” she recited before turning and running off. Daisy had a sense of deja vu, swearing she had heard her mother shout the same thing at Jamie nearly every time they had headed off to school. 

“Still working on that?” Jamie asked, looking over at his mother. Iris nodded, still watching the children.

“She doesn’t listen as much as you did,” she replied. “Hope you’re doing better with Marjorie?”

“She’s been learning rather well,” Jamie said, beaming in pride over at his daughter. Daisy looked over, watching as she hugged Lila and then turned to board the train. She definitely took after Lila with her long, dark hair, though it was curly like Jamie’s, and her hazel eyes. She was also rather bright for her age. For a moment Daisy wondered if the girl would end up in Ravenclaw. It’d be a first in their family. 

Loud laughter then caught Daisy’s attention and she looked over, seeing Ollie sporting his grandfather’s head and was frowning at the rest of his cousins with his hands on his hips.

“Ollie!” Daisy shouted in warning. He whipped his head over to look at her and then grinned, smoothly changing back into himself as Rosie and Davie reached them. “Swear he’s going to be the death of me.”

“No, I think all of them are going to be the death of McGonagall. And just wait until Freddie’s kids get there,” Lucy said.

“Surprised she hasn’t retired yet,” Daisy commented.

“After this year, she just might,” Iris replied.

“Didn’t miss them, did we?” 

Daisy looked over and saw a grinning John with Toby at his side walking up to them. As they started having children, it wasn’t uncommon for them to be at Daisy and Wills. Though it was usually mayhem with all the children underfoot. 

“Uncle John! Uncle Toby!” Brianna shouted before running over to hug the two. “What are you doing here?”

“Had to see your brothers off, didn’t we?” Toby asked, grinning down at her. “They are named after us, after all.” 

“Over there. Better go say good-bye now. Suspect they’ll be on the train soon enough,” Daisy said, nodding her head towards the boys. 

“OLLIE! I WILL SMACK YOU!”

“Yep, better get over there,” John said as he and Toby walked up to the kids. Daisy and Wills looked over to the twins, seeing the two doubled over in laughter as a 15-year-old Adelaide glared at them and shoved a large toad she had just pulled from her bag back at Ollie. 

“And so it starts,” Daisy said with a sigh as she shook her head. Adelaide flicked her long, white-blonde hair over her shoulder and strode onto the train. 

“Whose idea was it to get them a toad?” Molly asked. Daisy looked at Wills.

“I didn’t get them anything,” he said, his eyes wide. Daisy just sighed.

“Knowing those two, there’s no telling where it came from,” she said. 

“What? All children love toads!” 

Daisy looked over, seeing her Uncle George walking up with a grin and his hands in his pockets.

“Good lord, what else have you given them?” Daisy asked. George just shrugged. 

“I got them nothing… though Freddie and Christos were in charge of gift packages this year, so suppose you’ll have to ask them,” he replied. Daisy rolled her eyes.

“Best to just go with it,” Iris said to her soothingly as she patted her arm. 

There was a large blast of the train’s horn, signaling that it was nearing time to pull out of the station. Immediately, all the children left on the platform made for their parents, offering one last hug.

“Try not to get into detention,” Daisy said as she hugged Ollie.

“Mu-um, it’s a rite of passage!” he replied, looking up at her. Daisy looked over at Wills who just grinned and shrugged.

“They didn’t get it from me,” he said. “I was a prefect.” She just sighed and kissed the top of his head, causing him to gag slightly as he pushed away from her. Luke then hugged her, squeezing a bit tighter. He didn’t make a face when she kissed him.

“Come say good-bye to your grandad,” Oliver said, smiling at them. The twins then moved over to hug him and Iris as Rosie and Davie took turns hugging their older sister and brothers.

“See you at Christmas!” Wills shouted as everyone bounded onto the train.

“And for God’s sake - DO NOT GET BANNED FROM QUIDDITCH!” Daisy shouted. 

“They trying out this year? Thought you’d make them wait,” Jamie asked, looking over at her.

“They _are_ my sons. Even if I tried, they’d still try out anyway,” she said, still watching the train. Just as it started to pull out of the station, two identical ginger heads popped out of a window and waved towards them. Just next to Ollie and Luke, Rosie and Davie stuck their heads out as well, waving enthusiastically, Davie seeming to have gotten over his fright from earlier. There was no room for Marjorie, but her face was clearly visible through the window as she waved as well.

Daisy felt tears prick at her eyes as she moved to quickly wipe them away.

“It’s alright. Your father cried every time we sent you lot off,” Iris said from next to her, sliding an arm around her waist. 

“I did not!” Oliver shouted. Daisy looked over at him, seeing him blinking rapidly, likely trying to hide the fact he was crying at the moment. She then chuckled.

“I’m still here, you know,” Brianna said, planting her hands on her hips as she looked up at her mother and then over at her grandparents.

“Course, Bree, dear,” Oliver said, bending down to her height. She walked over and wrapped her arms around his neck, laughing loudly as he picked her up and spun her around. He then grimaced slightly and put her back down.

“Dare say you won’t be able to do that much longer,” Remus quipped, watching as the remaining children all gathered around their grandfather, each demanding to be swung around. Oliver blanched slightly but then obliged, grimacing a bit more with each one. But at the same time, it wasn’t like he could say no to any of them.

“Come on. Let’s get you home so we can ice that back of yours,” Iris said, chuckling after he had finished. Oliver nodded and offered up no complaints as they turned and started towards the entrance to the platform. Brianna reached up and took Daisy’s hand as they followed. From behind them, she could hear Alan trying to coral his daughters while Jamie started entertaining Camille and Michael with stories of Hogwarts. Remus and Laura were busy asking Calem what he wanted to do next.

“Mummy… can we go visit Uncle Freddie and Uncle Christos?” Brianna asked, looking up at her. Daisy chuckled, figuring Brianna would want to go see them before going home. Even though she saw them a few times a week as it was.

“Sure. Mummy and Daddy have the day off, so we can have a bit of fun before we go home,” Daisy said. Brianna grinned.

“I want ice cream!” Heather shouted. 

“And I want to go to the quidditch shop!” Brianna added, causing Heather to make a face.

“How about this… we’ll go to the joke shop together, then Daddy can take Heather to the toy shop while you and I go to the quidditch shop. Then we can all have ice cream afterwards,” Daisy suggested. “Sound good?” Both Brianna and Heather nodded, grinning. 

As they kept walking, Wills reached down and took Daisy’s hand, squeezing it. She looked up at him, catching his smile.

“Watch it!” Alan shouted, running past them to try and catch up to Blair, Freya and Kyla, Kenzie following on his heels determined not to be left out.

“And we all thought Pix’s twins were going to be the lively ones,” Remus said with a chuckle.

“Thank Merlin ours are reasonable,” Jamie said with a sigh.

“Mummy, what’s reasonable?” Heather asked. Daisy frowned at Jamie over her shoulder before looking up at her daughter.

“Nothing to worry about. You’re perfect just the way you are,” she said, smiling.

“Even though I don’t play quidditch like Bree or can change my face like Ollie and Luke,” she asked, her bottom lip starting to quiver. Oh, bother. Daisy wasn’t sure she wanted to get into this conversation on the train platform. She stopped as her brothers and their families walked past, though they all stopped to watch.

“Heather Rose, you are absolutely wonderful just as you are,” Daisy said, looking up at her. “You’re quite clever and really good at potions already. You don’t need quidditch or to change your face.” She then looked down at Brianna before looking back up at Heather. “All of us have our own talents, including you.” The little girl started smiling. “What’s more, your daddy and I love you very, very much. All of you.” 

“I love you too,” she chirped. Wills leaned down and kissed Daisy.

“And I love you,” he said.

“GROSS!” Brianna shouted as Heather giggled. Daisy just chuckled.

“Come on… we got loads of fun to have today…”


End file.
